finery

noun

ˈfīn-rē How to pronounce finery (audio)
Definition of finerynext
as in attire
dressy clothing the guests arrived at the wedding in all their finery

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 finery My family saw plenty of dancing, impromptu music jams and people kitted out in their national finery. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 23 June 2026 Hosts can load the table with fine china and florals indoors or out, and the major-commitment option asks guests to show up in tea-time finery, hats included. — Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 June 2026 But four times the talent means four times the finery, which was costume designer Molly Rogers’ challenge. — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 3 May 2026 Guests showed up in their most eccentric finery. — Blanche Marcel, Vanity Fair, 27 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for finery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finery
  1. attire
  2. costume
  3. regalia
  4. frippery
  5. bravery
  6. apparel
Noun
  • Polished suits and other types of professional business attire — the typical recommendation of career advisers in years past — no longer are the default option when interviewers may show up in hoodies and shorts.
    — Cathy Bussewitz, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026
  • One attendee was decked out in a T-shirt featuring a bug-eyed alien playing electric guitar, but for everyone else in the room, business attire was the order of the day.
    — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of attire
Noun
  • Police are reviewing purported footage of the person in the clown costume and collecting additional surveillance video.
    — Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Stajmiger spends time in the makeup chair before slipping into Beetlejuice's signature costume, completing the transformation from actor to one of Broadway's most recognizable characters.
    — Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of costume
Noun
  • During the latest episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the Marvel star shared how he’d been surprised by a random visit from Avengers costar Anthony Mackie, who appeared on the Brand New Day set in full Captain America regalia.
    — Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 30 July 2026
  • The second edition of the biennial event will bring together museum specialists, historians, gemologists and other experts for presentations and panel discussions exploring the history, artistry and preservation of royal regalia.
    — Anthony DeMarco, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
Definition of regalia
Noun
  • This one from chef Yotam Ottolenghi is basic with no frippery to speak of.
    — Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 26 Mar. 2026
  • And if Ada Lovelace had stuck to the frippery of English society rather than seek to further her education in mathematics and other areas, Charles Babbage's analytical engine might not have advanced past being a calculator.
    — Brenda Looper, Arkansas Online, 4 Mar. 2026
Definition of frippery
Noun
  • The red, white and blue represent bravery, purity and loyalty, respectively.
    — Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 July 2026
  • Two other female characters who grabbed viewers’ attention, eventually becoming symbols of bravery, transformation, and strength are Arya and Sansa—and yes those names became wildly popular among new parents, too.
    — Parents, Parents, 31 July 2026
Definition of bravery
Noun
  • Today Curious George and the Man in the Yellow Hat appear across apparel, toys, games (both analog and digital), television, and film.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026
  • More pre-fall favorites This fall, expect to see funnel-neck jackets, slim-fitting and lady jackets, sheer apparel, earth-tones and pops of color.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of apparel

Browse Nearby Words

fineness
finery
fines
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Finery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finery. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on finery

Nglish: Translation of finery for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All