embellishment

noun

im-ˈbe-lish-mənt How to pronounce embellishment (audio)
Definition of embellishmentnext
1
as in ornamentation
something that decorates or beautifies a colorful mobile is just the embellishment that the soon-to-be nursery needs

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in exaggeration
the representation of something in terms that go beyond the facts the actor's penchant for embellishment suggests that his memoirs would be more appropriately shelved in the fiction section

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 embellishment The ready-to-wear styles include the Amita, Isa, Love pump and Love slingback, which inspired custom pieces redone in gold, pink and citrus shades and completed with crystal embellishment. — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 4 Nov. 2026 Good wore a solid olive-green manicure, while Reinhart's had chrome embellishments and 3D olives, a nod to her character in the film The Love Hypothesis. — Christina Middleton, Allure, 4 Nov. 2026 Then, the Instagram Reel cut to a modern-day video of Union posing in a plunging golden gown detailed with gemstone embellishments on the bodice. — Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2026 In these temps, a jacket is basically the whole outfit, and the chicest women are leaning into effortless yet elevated styles that tie in heritage prints, flattering silhouettes, and even some unexpected embellishments. — Olivia Cigliano, InStyle, 24 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for embellishment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for embellishment
  1. ornamentation
  2. exaggeration
  3. ornament
  4. caricature
  5. decoration
  6. embroidery
  7. adornment
  8. enhancement
Noun
  • Skeletons have long served as sacred ornamentation across cultures, representing the transience of life.
    — Livia Caligor, Architectural Digest, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The cotton canvas jacket offers a very simple silhouette with little to no ornamentation—perfect for a minimalist wardrobe.
    — Bianca Kratky, Glamour, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of ornamentation
Noun
  • To justify a top-down overhaul, some have levied sweeping attacks, rhetoric and clear exaggerations against the traditional system.
    — Eric Wargotz, Baltimore Sun, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Without exaggeration, no single other sports accessory has become such a permanent fixture of everyday style.
    — Joan Kennedy, Vogue, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of exaggeration
Noun
  • However, since the ornament is entered into a holiday gift exchange rather than gifted with proper intention, Tanya suddenly finds herself on the receiving end of everyone else’s misfortune.
    — Rachel LaBonte, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2026
  • If a holiday carol stopped you cold in the grocery store this week, or if hanging a single ornament brought you to tears, nothing is wrong with you.
    — Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of ornament
Noun
  • The other three actors opposite this lead figure thrive on seemingly inexhaustible energy slipping in and out of dozens of lightning-fast quirky caricatures.
    — Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Players wore T-shirts with that number and a caricature of Nugent-Hopkins on it.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of caricature
Noun
  • Think over-sized kitchens with dark cabinetry, granite countertops, artificial grapes and many, many rooster decorations.
    — Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 1 Nov. 2026
  • The family spent approximately $1,500 on dirt and ballfield materials and another $500 on indoor decorations, bringing the total for those elements to around $2,000.
    — Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of decoration
Noun
  • Watts and Nash-Betts also embraced the LBD—Watts in a sleek tea-length Mugler strapless dress outfitted with the house’s signature sharp neckline, Nash-Betts in a theatrical hooded LouBe dress finished with gold embroidery.
    — Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 3 Nov. 2026
  • For that event, Camilla again wore Anna Valentine—this time a white dress with gold embroidery.
    — Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of embroidery
Noun
  • Modantus is his name, his head a skull, with brassy adornments ascending like a satellite dish.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
  • By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, architects such as Antoni Gaudí began studying skeletal anatomy not merely for adornment, but as the actual framework for buildings.
    — Livia Caligor, Architectural Digest, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of adornment
Noun
  • Last year, the city stopped repaving streets for eight months as officials struggled with staffing shortages to meet federal requirements to construct curb ramps for wheelchairs and new city rules that mandate bike, bus and pedestrian enhancements.
    — Jenny Jarvie Follow, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
  • By the late nineteenth century, the name Bell and the practice of elocution—the professional enhancement of the voice—had become close to synonymous.
    — Cal Revely-Calder, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of enhancement

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embellishing
embellishment
embellishments
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Cite this Entry

“Embellishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/embellishment. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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