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dolling up

verb

present participle of doll up
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

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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
  1. decorating
  2. dressing
  3. adorning
  4. dressing up
  5. doing up
Verb
  • The caffè is the most casual of the bunch, with big red armchairs and vintage posters decorating the walls.
    — Laura Itzkowitz, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026
  • That’s why Tonsmeire heads to TJ Maxx for help decorating clients’ bathrooms.
    — Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of decorating
Verb
  • Nothing brings this home like dressing for an event or an occasion or packing for a trip.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026
  • There’s a certain philosophy to dressing the body in Japan where the clothing obscures the body.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of dressing
Verb
  • But the very act of putting on a wearable—of willingly adorning oneself with a tiny computerized narc—is an act of surrender.
    — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026
  • In the photo, the father-son duo was all smiles, adorning matching jiu-jitsu outfits.
    — Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of adorning
Verb
  • And then there’s Michael Kors, bringing all the drama with animal prints, fringe, and elevated fabrics that encourage dressing up, even when the calendar says Tuesday.
    — Camila Quimper, Footwear News, 11 Sep. 2026
  • In past episodes, this has meant dressing up as Sigmund Freud in Vienna, singing with The Irish Tenors in Dublin, and facing off with a python in Bangkok.
    — Lale Arikoglu, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of dressing up
Verb
  • What in the world are those overgrown basketballs doing up there?
    — Rui Bo, The Conversation, 18 May 2026
  • Wednesday’s practice started with some of the players doing up-downs after forgetting equipment.
    — Anthony Solorzano, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Definition of doing up
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.

Browse Nearby Words

dollies
dolling up
dollish
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Cite this Entry

“Dolling up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dolling%20up. Accessed 16 Sep. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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