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

Let Emma Bovary daydream about dressing up in a velvet dress and playing an Érard grand piano for a Parisian audience. — Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026

Standout pieces like the MTM Loafer and the Mary Jean are effortless ways to dress up a daily look, effortlessly blending comfort and intentional style with timeless appeal. — ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026

In a March interview with Vogue, Hadid discussed how living in Texas had introduced her to different interpretations of cowgirl style, from women who dress up for the occasion to those who spend their days working with horses. — Danielle Minnetian, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026

The best thing about dressing up as Princess Leia on Halloween? — Chris McMullen, Space.com, 9 Oct. 2026