as in decorative
serving to add beauty
the chef tends to overuse sprigs of parsley and other embellishing garnishes on dishes that don't need them
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in exaggerating
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 & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decorating
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of embellishing
Irene Yoo
september 26, Literary Hub, 26 Sep. 2025
Inch by inch, the AI aids the person in embellishing the delusion.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
The sweater’s drop shoulder gives it a relaxed look, and the patch pockets on the pants are both practical and embellishing.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 1 Sep. 2025
Verb
The spread of banchan—side dishes that fill out a traditional Korean meal—that surrounds the central grill serves as a choose-your-own-adventure map for perfectly embellishing your meats of choice.
—Irene Yoo
september 26, Literary Hub, 26 Sep. 2025
Inch by inch, the AI aids the person in embellishing the delusion.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
The sweater’s drop shoulder gives it a relaxed look, and the patch pockets on the pants are both practical and embellishing.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 1 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for embellishing
Adjective
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Bring the spirit inside with decorative pumpkins on your entryway table to greet you and your guests at the door.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
29 Sep. 2025
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One crafty Solana Beach family has turned decorative succulent pumpkin arrangements into help for seniors in need at the Community Resource Center in Encinitas.—
Karen Billing,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Giménez was exaggerating, but not by much.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Over half, or 51 percent, admitted to exaggerating their financial success, with Gen Z (54 percent) leading the way compared to millennials (48 percent).—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Host of the dinner, Lauren Santo Domingo, also went strapless in a minimalist column by The Row with a fin of seam allowance decorating the back.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Marta and her friends, twelve women, had spent Saturday night decorating it.—
Mariana Enriquez
October 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Native ornamental grasses like Little Bluestem () provide both food through their seeds and cover from the elements.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Plant perennials, shrubs, and ornamental trees.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Younger tots will flip for the colorful spinner and activity book, while older kids can express themselves by coloring and drawing.—
Pamela Brill,
Parents,
2 Oct. 2025
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In addition to matching 2-1 records, both teams have two critical similarities coloring their outlooks.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Although a ladder is needed for adorning the tree with ornaments, the tree is pre-lit, so that tangled strands of lights are a thing of Christmas past.—
Rebecca Jones,
Southern Living,
29 Sep. 2025
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Thug has managed to find a way to push the envelope all these years later with Uy Scuti, adorning a Druski-esque whiteface that reads as a somewhat subversive take on the current moment’s politics.—
Rolling Stone,
Rolling Stone,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This direction—padding the ensemble with social-media-friendly faces—represents more of a nudge toward the future than a massive overhaul.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
1 Oct. 2025
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Mahomes is also padding his long list of sponsors, partnering with Airbnb and Hublot and agreeing to autograph Panini trading cards for the first time in five years.—
Brett Knight,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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There is a little bit of Italian history embedded in the collection, as draping is informed by Dante Alighieri’s tunics seen in portraits of him.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
23 Sep. 2025
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The webs multiply, draping across sidewalks, stretching across paths in the woods, appearing in every corner of our porches, and popping up near ceilings all over town.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Embellishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/embellishing. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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