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

Also, the Grindr is all guys either dressed up for pup play or wearing ladies’ panties, which is also not my idea of a good time, but slightly better than getting your foot stuck in a wet, mossy hole. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2026

Made from a lightweight linen-blend material, it can be styled casually on travel days with white sneakers or dressed up for a nice dinner with strappy sandals. — Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 1 Aug. 2026

The new single-cab model is dressed up in an aggressive aero kit that includes a hood scoop, larger fenders, and a prominent rear wing coming off the tailgate. — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 31 July 2026

An officer in Middlesex County's Dunellen Borough dressed up as a shrub as a way to call attention to the crackdown. — Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 31 July 2026