ornamental

adjective

or·na·men·tal | \ ˌȯr-nə-ˈmen-tᵊl

Definition of ornamental

(Entry 1 of 2)

: of, relating to, or serving as ornament specifically : grown as an ornamental

ornamental

noun

Definition of ornamental (Entry 2 of 2)

: a decorative object especially : a plant cultivated for its beauty rather than for use

Other Words from ornamental Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about ornamental

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Examples of ornamental in a Sentence

Adjective

The garden has many ornamental shrubs. the trim on Victorian houses is sometimes elaborately ornamental

Noun

The garden has many beautiful ornamentals. a collection of fragile ornamentals kept in a glass cabinet

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Shine and his crew hole up in what was once a fancy house, where ornamental fish, freed from their tank, still dart about in a puddle on the concrete floor. — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, "The Haunted Street Children of “Tigers Are Not Afraid”," 23 Aug. 2019 Reynders has a skull in the style of the Asmat people of Papua New Guinea, who traditionally decorated the remains of ancestors with beeswax, red seeds, feathers, and ornamental jewelry. — Oscar Schwartz, WIRED, "There’s a Thriving Market for Human Body Parts on Instagram," 21 Aug. 2019 The 230-unit mixed use development will sit on a 4.77-acre site and will be developed with two four-story buildings, a swimming pool and dog run, ornamental landscaping, private utilities, and both surface and covered parking. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "New development near Civic Center gets green light in La Mesa," 20 Aug. 2019 Autumn Beauty’ sunflowers and some ornamental grasses. — Heather Arndt Anderson, Sunset Magazine, "Plant a Pumpkin Spice Latte-Inspired Garden That Looks Good Enough to Drink," 9 Aug. 2019 An employee of the ornamental fish store was injured. — Elisha Fieldstadt, NBC News, "Pregnant woman, 2-year-old son dead in Tennessee after driver deliberately mows them down, police say," 19 June 2019 The 1,000-acre ornamental tree farm — the largest in the Southeast — is one of two in rural Lake County that has recently sought approval to house temporary workers who come to the United States legally through the federal government’s H2-A program. — Caroline Glenn, orlandosentinel.com, "Lake County tree farm builds $1.8 million apartment complex for migrant workers," 7 Aug. 2019 The bacterial strain responsible for 90% of Legionnaires’ cases lives in whirlpool spas, hot water tanks, cooling towers, ornamental fountains, and large air conditioning systems. — Maggie O'neill, Health.com, "Is Legionnaires’ Disease Contagious? Here’s What to Know About the Outbreak in Atlanta," 16 July 2019 The gardens outside include therapy gardens and pockets of gardens filled with annual and perennial flowers, ornamental grasses, trees, shrubs, roses and herbs. — Jodi Torpey, The Denver Post, "The healing gardens at Craig Hospital offer respite and therapy," 17 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Related Stories In addition to the above, here are three herbs that do double-duty as edibles and ornamentals in various amounts of shade: Mitsuba (Cryptotaenia japonica) is a perennial herb/vegetable also known as Japanese parsley. — Pam Peirce, SFChronicle.com, "Food crops and edible flowers that thrive in the shade," 12 July 2019 Among trees listed on the plans are maples, birch, ginkgoes, white firs and white pine, along with such ornamentals as redbud, dogwood, magnolia and lilacs. — Rick Romell, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Foxconn factory plan calls for hundreds of trees surrounding concrete and metal walls," 17 June 2019 If the lanternfly moves into your garden, the biggest problem may not be its weakening of ornamentals. — Adrian Higgins, Washington Post, "‘This is going to be a bad one’: A new pest is causing quarantines in Va. and Pa.," 26 June 2019 But Laurence found evidence of tell-tale ornamentals. — Zoë Schlanger, Quartz, "Forensic pollen scientists are helping the US track opioids," 6 June 2019 They can be found on many fruits and vegetables, ornamentals, and shade trees. — The Editors, Good Housekeeping, "The 10 Most Destructive Garden Insects and How to Get Rid of Them," 10 July 2018 They can be found on many fruits and vegetables, ornamentals, and shade trees. — The Editors, Good Housekeeping, "The 10 Most Destructive Garden Insects and How to Get Rid of Them," 10 July 2018 They can be found on many fruits and vegetables, ornamentals, and shade trees. — The Editors, Good Housekeeping, "The 10 Most Destructive Garden Insects and How to Get Rid of Them," 10 July 2018 They can be found on many fruits and vegetables, ornamentals, and shade trees. — The Editors, Good Housekeeping, "The 10 Most Destructive Garden Insects and How to Get Rid of Them," 10 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ornamental.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.