Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of adorn are beautify, deck, decorate, embellish, garnish, and ornament. While all these words mean "to enhance the appearance of something by adding something unessential," adorn implies an enhancing by something beautiful in itself.

a diamond necklace adorned her neck

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

Beautify adds to embellish a suggestion of counterbalancing plainness or ugliness.

will beautify the grounds with flower beds

In what contexts can deck take the place of adorn?

The synonyms deck and adorn are sometimes interchangeable, but deck implies the addition of something that contributes to gaiety, splendor, or showiness.

a house all decked out for Christmas

When is decorate a more appropriate choice than adorn?

Although the words decorate and adorn have much in common, decorate suggests relieving plainness or monotony by adding beauty of color or design.

decorate a birthday cake

Where would embellish be a reasonable alternative to adorn?

The words embellish and adorn are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, embellish often stresses the adding of superfluous or adventitious ornament.

embellish a page with floral borders

When is it sensible to use garnish instead of adorn?

While in some cases nearly identical to adorn, 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 are the words ornament and embellish related as synonyms of adorn?

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 adorn Stitch plushies adorned every seat in the auditorium and sported lights that flashed along with the show. Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 18 June 2025 The interior is adorned with a variety of textiles and materials. Jim Dobson, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025 As the honorary Colonel of the Welsh Guards, William sported the red uniform with a leek symbol on the neckline paired with a traditional bearskin cap adorned with the regiment's white and green plume. Greta Bjornson, People.com, 14 June 2025 With his tongue-in-cheek portrayal of himself, outlandish costumes (a wedding veil and a hair band adorned with chess pieces are among his more subtle accessories) and unabating love of drama, the Scottish multihyphenate has subverted the norms of TV host. Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 13 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for adorn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adorn
decorate
Verb
  • The 10-screen theater at the Village at San Antonio Center is decorated with robot toys, a wall of movie posters featuring robots and even has Dumbots, an upstairs lounge with a name inspired by some of the less-intelligent bots in movie history.
    Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 21 June 2025
  • The nymphs look like large black ticks decorated with white spots.
    Paul Bedard, The Washington Examiner, 18 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Adorn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adorn. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on adorn

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