1
as in decorating
to make more attractive by adding something that is beautiful or becoming
if you were to doll up those Shaker-style rooms, you'd ruin their simple elegance
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dressing
to put on one's best or formal clothes
got all dolled up for the party
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dolling up
Verb
-
The model added a slight shimmer to her ensemble by decorating her Saint Laurent slingback pumps with dangling diamond anklets.—
Karla Rodriguez,
Footwear News,
11 Feb. 2026 -
If vibrant hues aren’t your thing, try decorating for the holiday with some gorgeous greenery like @gagirl_vintagedecor did on Instagram.—
Nomita Vaish-Taylor,
The Spruce,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Cocktail dresses and cozy twinsets have been swapped out for work-appropriate blazers and cardigans layered over shirts, though Rowe retained some of Jones’s flirty personality by dressing her in pieces such as a mini skirt, made more demure styled with stockings.—
Kati Chitrakorn,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Place dressing ingredients in small bowl; stir to combine.—
Cathy Thomas,
Oc Register,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The All’s Fair actress’s dramatic, parking lot-skimming outerwear featured silver grommet buckles adorning her wrist, and a matching waist-cinching belt.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Videos on Chinese social media show people adorning their homes with red posters carrying well-wishing phrases, known as fai chun or chunlian, in an annual festive ritual.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
One of the teen's mothers contacted law authorities in California to report text messages on his phone discussing him dressing up in a delivery uniform and committing a burglary, court documents said.—
Louis Casiano , Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
-
These joggers are so cool right now, even for dressing up with a chic peacoat or blazer.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Benioff had revealed over the summer that AI was already doing up to 50% of the work at the company.—
Sawdah Bhaimiya,
CNBC,
21 Dec. 2025
-
The good news, however, is that even casual fans of their music can enjoy and appreciate what Joseph and Dun are doing up there.—
Theoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Oct. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Dolling up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dolling%20up. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
