DRESS-UP Synonyms: 127 Similar and Opposite Words

dress up

verb

Definition of dress up

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

Relevance

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of dress up For the cover of the November 9, 2026, issue, the artist Carter Goodrich gathered falling leaves to dress up a high-fashion creature. — Françoise Mouly, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026 And the Tina Turner impersonator was far from the only participant who embraced the opportunity to dress up. — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 1 Nov. 2026 Martha Stewart has issued a statement after drawing hefty backlash for dressing up as a homeless person for Halloween. — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 1 Nov. 2026 Martha Stewart shared photo seemingly dressed up as a homeless person for Halloween. — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dress up

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dress up

Verb

The Oilers became the first team in the NHL to dress a full-time emergency backup goalie, with Brett Epp sitting on the bench.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
In 2001, he was fired from MTV UK after turning up to work dressed as Osama bin Laden two days after the September 11 terror attacks.

— Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of dress

Verb

Its Romanesque façade was disguised as a grand Southern plantation—four towering white columns were erected to support a temporary façade with floral garlands, potted trees, and an enormous portrait of Leigh and Gable hung above the entrance.

— Serena Turner, Vanity Fair, 3 Nov. 2026
The new spot captures the viral social trend of disguising presents in unanticipated ways through a series of unexpected gift exchanges where the items are wrapped to look like something entirely different.

— Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of disguise

Verb

Picture windows dominate the 30 ample rooms, which are pleasingly clad in unfinished wood and shocking splashes of lime.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Nov. 2026
Officers clad in black helmets and protective clothing charged at crowds in Lyon after the demonstrations against rising living costs and in support of the high school protest movement turned violent and fires were set in the streets.

— Zacharie Petit, NBC news, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of clothe

Verb

Hanging out was one thing, but the group also wanted to doll up the Potter franchise’s Ron Weasley.

— Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Aug. 2026
And Millie Bobby Brown echoed a similar sentiment on her story, sharing Hottle's memorable shot holding a handmade King Kong doll up to the giant ape.

— Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 22 July 2026

Definition of doll up

Verb

What’s masked as a culture war in Florida is actually a class war the billionaires designed to tune us out, but young people are ready to even the scales on Election Day.

— Cameron Driggers, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2026
Pedro gave me permission, with his effervescence and his sadness and his ability to mask his sadness, to go after the fairy tale.

— Clayton Davis, Variety, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of mask

Verb

If your outdoor space has been looking a little tired from the summer sun and storms, consider this your sign to spruce things up before the next season is in full swing.

— Sarah Scott, Southern Living, 11 Aug. 2026
Prince Harry even spruced the place up to Meghan’s liking while the couple was dating, per People, and proposed to her in the walled garden outside of the cottage in 2017.

— Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 20 June 2026

Definition of spruce

Verb

This melding of ultra-modern fabrication and centuries-old craft compounds West’s broader vision for costuming Dune, creating futuristic objects that appear to have lived entire histories.

— Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 5 Nov. 2026
Elsewhere in the memoir, Dench spoke about the 2004 sci-fi film’s costuming while comparing costume fittings for movies and theatre.

— Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of costume

Browse Nearby Words

dress rehearsals

dress up

dressy

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Dress up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dress%20up. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of dress up

verb

Example Sentences

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