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embellish

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of embellish

1 to add to the interest of by including made-up details
  • The story of the comic marriage proposal was embellished as it passed from one generation to the next in the family.
Synonyms of embellish

color, elaborate (on), embroider, exaggerate, hyperbolize, magnify, pad, stretch
Words Related to embellish

dress up, gussy up

amplify, enhance, enlarge (on or upon), expand, flesh (out)

fudge, hedge

overdo, overdraw, overemphasize, overplay, overstate

emphasize, play up, stress

caricature

satirize
Near Antonyms of embellish

belittle, minimize, play down, understate
2 to make more attractive by adding something that is beautiful or becoming
  • The walls of the French restaurant are embellished with scenes of Parisian life.
Synonyms of embellish

adorn, array, beautify, bedeck, bedizen, blazon, caparison, deck, decorate, do, do up, doll up, drape, dress, emblaze, emboss, enrich, fancify, fancy up, festoon, garnish, glitz (up), grace, gussy up, ornament, pretty (up), trim
Words Related to embellish

accessorize, dress up, trap, trick (out)

brighten, freshen, smarten, spruce (up)

boss, chase

braid, embroider, feather, figure, filigree, fillet, flounce, frill, fringe, furbelow, garland, hang, lace, ribbon, swag, wreathe

appliqué, gild, paint
Near Antonyms of embellish

simplify, streamline

bare, denude, dismantle, display, divest, expose, reveal, strip, uncover

uglify
Antonyms of embellish

blemish, deface, disfigure, mar, scar, spoil

Synonym Discussion of embellish

adorn, decorate, ornament, embellish, beautify, deck, garnish mean to enhance the appearance of something by adding something unessential. adorn implies an enhancing by something beautiful in itself.
    • a diamond necklace adorned her neck
decorate suggests relieving plainness or monotony by adding beauty of color or design.
    • decorate a birthday cake
ornament and embellish imply the adding of something extraneous, ornament stressing the heightening or setting off of the original
    • a white house ornamented with green shutters
, embellish often stressing the adding of superfluous or adventitious ornament.
    • embellish a page with floral borders
beautify adds to embellish a suggestion of counterbalancing plainness or ugliness.
    • will beautify the grounds with flower beds
deck implies the addition of something that contributes to gaiety, splendor, or showiness.
    • a house all decked out for Christmas
garnish suggests decorating with a small final touch and is used especially in referring to the serving of food.
    • an entrée garnished with parsley

Learn More about embellish

  1. See words that rhyme with embellish Dictionary: Definition of embellish Spanish Central: Translation of embellish Nglish: Translation of embellish for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of embellish for Arabic speakers

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