1
: marked by elaborate rhetoric (see rhetoric sense 2b) or florid (see florid sense 1a) style
is clear and simple rather than ornate and pompous—
The Times Literary Supplement (London)
The Times Literary Supplement (London)2
: elaborately or excessively decorated
an ornate mantle
an ornate townhouse
ornate chandeliers
ornately
adverb
ornateness
noun
Examples of ornate in a Sentence
She doesn't like ornate jewelry.
an ornate gambling casino that is designed to look like an Italian palace
Recent Examples on the Web
Pfister Hotel — Wisconsin Built in 1893, Milwaukee’s Pfister Hotel has long been linked to flickering lights, strange noises and shadowy figures said to haunt its ornate halls.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2025
The knee socks and ballet flats complemented an ornate minidress, which was green organza with crystals embroidered all over the garment.
—Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2025
The 5,000-square-foot Victorian dwelling, which was built in 1870, sports a red exterior and is tucked behind gothic wrought iron gates featuring spiders, bats, and other spooky creatures worked into its ornate design.
—Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 23 Oct. 2025
The director of the Louvre in Paris took the hot seat on Wednesday, answering questions from lawmakers amid mounting criticism over apparent security lapses that enabled thieves to pull off Sunday's brazen daylight heist of more than $100 million in jewels from the museum's ornate Apollo Gallery.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ornate
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Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2025
The knee socks and ballet flats complemented an ornate minidress, which was green organza with crystals embroidered all over the garment.
—Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2025
The 5,000-square-foot Victorian dwelling, which was built in 1870, sports a red exterior and is tucked behind gothic wrought iron gates featuring spiders, bats, and other spooky creatures worked into its ornate design.
—Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 23 Oct. 2025
The director of the Louvre in Paris took the hot seat on Wednesday, answering questions from lawmakers amid mounting criticism over apparent security lapses that enabled thieves to pull off Sunday's brazen daylight heist of more than $100 million in jewels from the museum's ornate Apollo Gallery.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ornate
Cite this Entry
“Ornate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ornate. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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