ornate

adjective

or·​nate ȯr-ˈnāt 

1

: marked by elaborate rhetoric (see rhetoric sense 2b) or florid (see florid sense 1a) style

He is clear and simple rather than ornate and pompous.

—The Times Literary Supplement (London)

2

: elaborately or excessively decorated

an ornate mantle

an ornate townhouse

ornate chandeliers

ornately adverb

ornateness noun

Synonyms of ornate

• baroque
• decorated
• adorned
• extravagant
• ornamented
• gilded
• florid
• loud
• lacy
• overwrought
• gingerbread
• overdecorated

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

Somewhere between modern and antique, ornate and modest, decorative and practical is this botanical print and stem green earthenware from Anthropologie. —Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 4 Nov. 2025

But contains a lot of the ornate style and woodworking of traditional Victorian homes. —Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025

Dancers in ornate pharaonic costumes -- crowned with golden headpieces and holding scepters -- performed to a live international orchestra, as fireworks and drones depicting ancient gods lit up the sky above. —Ayat Al-Tawy, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2025

Now suddenly this is too big, too ornate, too crazy? —Brian Moylan, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ornat, from Latin ornatus, past participle of ornare to furnish, embellish; akin to Latin ordo order — more at order

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for ornate

• abate
• airfreight
• await
• baseplate
• berate
• birthdate
• birthrate
• bookplate
• borate
• breastplate
• bromate
• casemate

Kids Definition

ornate

adjective

or·​nate ȯr-ˈnāt 

: decorated in a fancy way

ornately adverb

ornateness noun