Synonym Chooser

How is the word beautify different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of beautify are adorn, deck, decorate, embellish, garnish, and ornament. While all these words mean "to enhance the appearance of something by adding something unessential," beautify adds to embellish a suggestion of counterbalancing plainness or ugliness.

will beautify the grounds with flower beds

Where would adorn be a reasonable alternative to beautify?

Although the words adorn and beautify have much in common, adorn implies an enhancing by something beautiful in itself.

a diamond necklace adorned her neck

When is deck a more appropriate choice than beautify?

In some situations, the words deck and beautify are roughly equivalent. However, deck implies the addition of something that contributes to gaiety, splendor, or showiness.

a house all decked out for Christmas

When could decorate be used to replace beautify?

The synonyms decorate and beautify are sometimes interchangeable, but decorate suggests relieving plainness or monotony by adding beauty of color or design.

decorate a birthday cake

When is it sensible to use embellish instead of beautify?

The meanings of embellish and beautify largely overlap; however, embellish often stresses the adding of superfluous or adventitious ornament.

embellish a page with floral borders

When can garnish be used instead of beautify?

While in some cases nearly identical to beautify, garnish suggests decorating with a small final touch and is used especially in referring to the serving of food.

an entrée garnished with parsley

How do ornament and embellish relate to one another, in the sense of beautify?

Both ornament and embellish imply the adding of something extraneous, ornament stressing the heightening or setting off of the original.

a white house ornamented with green shutters

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of beautify The grant is going to help beautify these space but alos help kids invest in their neighborhood, said Meg Bruzan, who is part of the six-member all volunteer board of We Got This. La Risa R. Lynch, jsonline.com, 29 Aug. 2025 Venus in Leo wants to beautify your sanctuary. Usa Today, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2025 Muralist Kian Dubay, of Pittsburgh, traveling with fellow artist Phil Seth, beautified a dingy basketball goal north of the Valparaiso Creates Center on Indiana Avenue. Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025 The town has wanted to reuse the long-empty fabric mills, partly as a way to build Rockville’s economy and partly as a way to beautify that section of town. Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 8 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for beautify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beautify
Verb
  • The brand unveiled its capsule with ready-to-wear talent Alessandro Enriquez, and the designer’s poppy prints decorated the entire showroom, from the walls to the furniture to the shoe boxes.
    Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Sky News Australia has canceled a show, designed to platform controversial debate, after a guest voiced anti-Islam views while wearing a shirt decorated with bacon.
    Jake Kanter, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The egg itself sits on a rock-crystal base, which is shaped like a block of melting ice and adorned with even more diamonds and platinum.
    Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Stretching to the pointed edge of the property is a 62-foot-long rectangular infinity pool adorned with mosaic tiles in swirling shapes that mimic the greenish glow of bioluminescence.
    Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 3 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Beautify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beautify. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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