Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of decorate are adorn, beautify, deck, embellish, garnish, and ornament. While all these words mean "to enhance the appearance of something by adding something unessential," decorate suggests relieving plainness or monotony by adding beauty of color or design.

decorate a birthday cake

When might adorn be a better fit than decorate?

The synonyms adorn and decorate are sometimes interchangeable, but adorn implies an enhancing by something beautiful in itself.

a diamond necklace adorned her neck

How are the words beautify and embellish related as synonyms of decorate?

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

will beautify the grounds with flower beds

When can deck be used instead of decorate?

Although the words deck and decorate have much in common, deck implies the addition of something that contributes to gaiety, splendor, or showiness.

a house all decked out for Christmas

When would embellish be a good substitute for decorate?

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

embellish a page with floral borders

Where would garnish be a reasonable alternative to decorate?

While in some cases nearly identical to decorate, 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 decorate?

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 decorate An abstract profile of her decorates the annual tournament poster. Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025 Strain gently into a coupe or cocktail glass, express a lemon peel over the top and discard (for aroma), and decorate the foam with drops of angostura bitters (for visuals). Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 6 Sep. 2025 After our dinner at the Italian restaurant, Moscatiello drove me to a Balance Project meeting, which was held in the pool house of a luxurious home, decorated with snowshoes and taxidermy. Charlotte Alter, Time, 5 Sep. 2025 The lawn of the Magnolia Garden is decorated with the coat of arms of Pope Pius XI designed in the foliage. Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for decorate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decorate
Verb
  • Inside, walls are adorned with inlaid brass and white onyx mosaic, framing a three-dimensional image of Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, which is present in many RH Galleries and represents the RH design ethos.
    Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Chicago Sky star forward Angel Reese is on the WNBA edition cover—an alt-product trend introduced in NBA 2K22 when former Sky star Candace Parker adorned a cover in honor of the WNBA’s 25th anniversary.
    Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Olandria Carthen heated up the red carpet in a red corset draped with sheer red fabric.
    Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Usain Bolt, Veronica Campbell Brown, Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce have all been draped in the saltire as individual Olympic champions, in addition to two men’s and two women’s titles in the 4x100m relays.
    Liam Tharme, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Decorate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decorate. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on decorate

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