Synonyms of dress up

dress up

verb

1

as in to dress

to put on one's best or formal clothes

we always like to dress up when going to parties

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dress
• doll up
• costume
• clothe
• smarten (up)
• suit
• garment
• tog (out or up)
• deck
• rig (out)
• apparel
• primp
• attire
• prink
• accessorize
• preen
• array
• robe
• garb
• dude (up)
• bedeck
• bedizen
• invest
• caparison

2

as in to disguise

to change the dress or looks of so as to conceal true identity

the war was a fiasco that the administration tried to dress up as a triumph

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disguise
• mask
• camouflage
• conceal
• hide
• simulate
• cloak
• cover
• obscure
• blot out
• pose
• assume
• affect
• screen
• curtain
• veil
• play
• masquerade
• pretend
• blanket
• gloss (over)
• occult
• enshroud
• shroud
• feign
• sham
• dissimulate
• counterfeit
• act
• dissemble
• cosmeticize
• varnish
• fake
• impersonate
• whitewash
• gild

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unmask
• display
• show
• exhibit
• expose
• parade
• uncover
• flaunt
• disclose
• unveil
• reveal
• undrape
• discover
• divulge
• betray
• bare
• uncloak
• unclothe

3

as in to candy

to make more desirable

dressed up the house with new windows and a paint job before putting it on the market

Synonyms & Similar Words

• candy
• spruce
• sweeten
• improve
• enhance
• ameliorate
• soup up
• enrich
• trick
• embellish
• cosmeticize
• meliorate
• doll up

4

as in to clothe

to outfit with clothes and especially fine or special clothes

the girls were dressed up in skirts or dresses, but the boys were wearing jeans

Synonyms & Similar Words

• clothe
• dress
• deck (out)
• costume
• gown
• garment
• rig (out)
• attire
• toilet
• habit
• get up
• apparel
• array
• wrap
• suit
• drape
• tog (up or out)
• garb
• bedeck
• jacket
• do up
• enrobe
• robe
• vesture
• invest
• furnish
• uniform
• caparison
• cloak
• vest
• outfit
• dress down
• mantle
• frock
• swaddle
• equip
• tailor
• huddle
• enswathe
• swathe
• hap
• bedight
• habilitate
• accoutre
• underdress

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• strip
• disarray
• undress
• disrobe
• untruss
• uncover
• divest
• unclothe
• unveil
• denude
• undrape

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of dress up

The eye-catching hem instantly dresses up a pair of basic blue jeans, especially when styled with a blouse or sweater. — Nicol Natale, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2026

In the dark comedy Bad Santa, Thornton plays Willie, a miserable, heavy-drinking con man who dresses up as Santa with his elf sidekick (Tony Cox) to rob department stores on Christmas Eve. — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Sep. 2026

Pinkchyu got a full shopping spree, which included Drizzy dressing up as a goth to match her energy. — Armon Sadler, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2026

Less likely, perhaps, not least because even a suboptimal outcome can be dressed up as a correct decision if three of the five panellists feel the VAR was right not to get involved. — Oliver Kay, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026