Synonyms of dress

dress 1 of 3

noun

1

as in gown

a garment with a joined blouse and skirt usually worn by a woman or girl

what a lovely dress you're wearing today!

Synonyms & Similar Words

• gown
• jumper
• frock
• kimono
• sundress
• sheath
• chemise
• shirtwaist
• minidress
• shirtdress
• overdress
• housedress
• kirtle
• tea gown
• muumuu
• coatdress
• Mother Hubbard
• sweaterdress
• shift
• sack
• granny dress

2

as in costume

clothing chosen as appropriate for a specific situation

a bagpiper in full Scottish Highlander dress

Synonyms & Similar Words

• costume
• clothes
• attire
• garb
• outfit
• getup
• togs
• apparel
• guise
• style
• drag
• raiment
• mode
• duds
• vestments
• habiliment(s)
• fashion
• array
• caparison

3

as in clothes

covering for the human body

a businessman who is very conservative in his dress

Synonyms & Similar Words

• clothes
• clothing
• attire
• garments
• wear
• apparel
• costume
• garb
• vestments
• rags
• toggery
• livery
• vesture
• raiment
• threads
• weeds
• gear
• costumery
• rigging
• outfit
• rig
• togs
• duds
• wearables
• wardrobe
• habit
• vestiary
• clobber
• habiliment(s)
• frock
• finery
• ensemble
• couture
• regalia
• underwear
• guise
• trim
• tailoring
• pretties
• getup
• garderobe
• bravery
• tatters
• caparison
• glad rags
• underclothes
• outerwear
• trumpery
• tawdry
• sportswear
• mufti
• gaiety
• frippery
• foofaraw
• civvies
• ready-to-wear
• sleepwear
• array
• loungewear
• gaudery
• menswear
• activewear
• playwear
• nightclothes
• smallclothes
• haberdashery
• prêt-à-porter

4

as in look

the outward form of someone or something especially as indicative of a quality

another version of the Cinderella story but in modern-romance dress

Synonyms & Similar Words

• look
• attitude
• appearance
• presence
• demeanor
• manner
• garb
• aspect
• outside
• mien
• behavior
• figure
• posture
• cut of one's jib
• shape
• regard
• person
• deportment
• pose
• air
• carriage
• bearing
• stance
• poise
• comportment
• color
• mold
• features
• face
• coloring
• turn
• complexion
• cast
• habit
• countenance
• physiognomy
• habitus
• visage
• superficies

dress

2 of 3

adjective

as in formal

relating to or suitable for wearing to an event requiring elegant dress and manners

the naval commander wore his dress uniform to the ball

Synonyms & Similar Words

• formal
• costume
• stylish
• fashionable
• dressy
• tailored
• chic
• fitted
• in
• smart
• evening
• dapper
• modish
• natty
• white-tie
• black-tie
• costumey
• semiformal
• snappy
• custom-made
• sharp

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• informal
• casual
• street
• sporty
• unfashionable
• outmoded
• dowdy
• slovenly
• sloppy
• untidy
• wrinkled
• sportif
• unkempt
• rumpled
• grungy
• messy
• disheveled
• frowsy
• mussy
• unstylish
• styleless
• sloven

dress

3 of 3

verb

ˈdres 

1

as in to bandage

to cover with a bandage

first wash and then dress the wound

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bandage
• bind
• treat
• heal
• attend
• minister (to)
• swathe
• care (for)
• nurse
• remedy
• cure
• medicate
• doctor
• rehabilitate
• mend

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• uncover
• unwrap
• unbandage

2

as in to decorate

to make more attractive by adding something that is beautiful or becoming

let's dress up the room with some greenery for the holiday party

Synonyms & Similar Words

• decorate
• adorn
• drape
• trim
• ornament
• deck
• embellish
• paint
• garnish
• grace
• beautify
• array
• pretty (up)
• bedeck
• festoon
• enrich
• bedizen
• emboss
• do
• doll up
• blazon
• emblaze
• gussy up
• accessorize
• caparison
• glitz (up)
• fancify
• dress up
• trap
• embroider
• ribbon
• do up
• fancy up
• trick (out)
• brighten
• braid
• lace
• spruce (up)
• fringe
• garland
• figure
• freshen
• smarten
• fillet
• chase
• diamond
• boss
• flounce
• frill
• wreathe
• feather
• hang
• pearl
• jewel
• gild
• gem
• appliqué
• swag
• filigree
• furbelow
• redo
• redecorate
• impearl

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• scar
• spoil
• disfigure
• display
• reveal
• mar
• simplify
• deface
• streamline
• strip
• expose
• blemish
• bare
• uncover
• dismantle
• divest
• denude
• uglify

3

as in to polish

to make smooth or glossy usually by repeatedly applying surface pressure

dress the granite block to be used as the headstone on all four sides

Synonyms & Similar Words

• polish
• rub
• coat
• smooth
• scrub
• shine
• gloss
• sand
• burnish
• furbish
• buff
• scrape
• grind
• finish
• sleek
• slick
• glaze
• face
• bob
• file
• varnish
• bone
• smoothen
• japan
• brighten
• lacquer
• veneer
• scour
• sandblast
• lap
• sandpaper
• rasp

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ruffle
• rough (up)
• roughen
• scuff (up)

4

as in to costume

to outfit with clothes and especially fine or special clothes

dressed the young girl in satin and lace

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

5

as in to clothe

to put on one's best or formal clothes

we don't usually dress for dinner

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

6

as in to grow

to look after or assist the growth of by labor and care

dress the beans by applying fertilizer once a week

Synonyms & Similar Words

• grow
• cultivate
• produce
• culture
• plant
• promote
• harvest
• tend
• raise
• crop
• rear
• breed
• propagate
• sow
• gather
• reap
• sprout
• glean
• ripen
• root
• germinate
• quicken

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• kill
• pick
• pull (up)
• cut
• dig
• hay
• pluck
• extirpate
• uproot
• mow

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of dress

Noun

Back in 1954, during the filming of The Seven Year Itch, a still photographer had captured an image of Marilyn Monroe standing over a New York subway grate as steam lifted her white dress above her head. — Laurence Leamer, Vanity Fair, 14 Oct. 2026

Edebiri’s look brings to mind musician Bjork’s quite literal interpretation of a swan dress at the 2001 Academy Awards; an outfit cemented in pop culture history as one of the red carpet’s most referenced, albeit campy, moments. — Bianca Betancourt, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026

Verb

Both are curled in chairs in an otherwise empty room in an upscale Hyde Park Corner hotel, modestly dressed in jeans, sneakers and casual tops. — Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026

The relationship between Chanel and film first started when Gabrielle Chanel travelled to Hollywood in 1930 to dress the leading actresses of the era and transformed them into style icons. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026

Phrases Containing dress

• dress down
• dress up
• full dress