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 Lindroth got to work on beautifying the space and forming the idea of what Cup of Bloom would be. Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 July 2025 The rotating art display is part of an initiative to beautify downtown and create unique experiences. Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 20 May 2025 Why spend time beautifying a part of you that is often hidden? Eman Bare, Vogue, 19 May 2025 According to her, this would include beautifying Village Creek Park, more police officers to patrol the area, repairs to road markers, better animal control and more speed bumps to make the area safer for children. Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for beautify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beautify
Verb
  • Country Music Hall of Fame member Minnie Pearl's straw hat, decorated with cloth flowers and dangling $1.98 price tag, worn at her Opry debut in 1940.
    Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean, 22 Aug. 2025
  • The movie is an empty shell ornately decorated with eyecatching camera angles, an acidulously sun-bright palette, and whimsical dialogue.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The script adorns its skein of criminal dealings with idiosyncratic action, too.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2025
  • Inside, colorful portraits of the actor Steve McQueen and the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat adorn the walls, and an ’80s soundtrack (Peter Gabriel, Simply Red, the Pretenders) provides a quiet rock background.
    Seth Sherwood, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Beautify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beautify. Accessed 1 Sep. 2025.

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