ornament 1 of 2

ornament

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word ornament different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of ornament are adorn, beautify, deck, decorate, embellish, and garnish. While all these words mean "to enhance the appearance of something by adding something unessential," 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

When is it sensible to use adorn instead of ornament?

The synonyms adorn and ornament are sometimes interchangeable, but adorn implies an enhancing by something beautiful in itself.

a diamond necklace adorned her neck

How are the words beautify and embellish related as synonyms of ornament?

Beautify adds to embellish a suggestion of counterbalancing plainness or ugliness.

will beautify the grounds with flower beds

When might deck be a better fit than ornament?

In some situations, the words deck and ornament are roughly equivalent. However, deck implies the addition of something that contributes to gaiety, splendor, or showiness.

a house all decked out for Christmas

In what contexts can decorate take the place of ornament?

While in some cases nearly identical to ornament, decorate suggests relieving plainness or monotony by adding beauty of color or design.

decorate a birthday cake

When can embellish be used instead of ornament?

The words embellish and ornament are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, embellish often stresses the adding of superfluous or adventitious ornament.

embellish a page with floral borders

Where would garnish be a reasonable alternative to ornament?

Although the words garnish and ornament have much in common, garnish suggests decorating with a small final touch and is used especially in referring to the serving of food.

an entrée garnished with parsley

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 ornament
Noun
Sew letters, stars, and shapes to hang on your tree, making sure to stuff the ornaments with cotton before sewing them closed to give a 3-D look. Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Sep. 2025 At Christmas, beginning at Thanksgiving, the restaurant became a landscape of shimmering presents, trees and ornaments. Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2025
Verb
Both of their homes are ornamented with distinct lines of grass and dirt on them around 2-3 feet above the ground, a marker for how high the water rose. Jack Albright, jsonline.com, 12 Aug. 2025 Its spa-like en suite is ornamented by Italian marble with black highlight inserts from Spain, two separate vanities, a steam shower, a separate tub and bountiful storage. Karen A. Avitabile, Hartford Courant, 15 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for ornament
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ornament
Noun
  • Currently, more than 2,000 items are on sale in the outlet section, including furniture, bedding, and Halloween decorations.
    Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Ha-Ha-Halloween Song If your toddler is still a tad freaked out by all the skeletons and ghosts appearing around their neighborhood in the form of creepy decorations, and the prospect of dressing up just doesn’t sound appealing, CoComelon can help.
    Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The brand unveiled its capsule with ready-to-wear talent Alessandro Enriquez, and the designer’s poppy prints decorated the entire showroom, from the walls to the furniture to the shoe boxes.
    Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Sky News Australia has canceled a show, designed to platform controversial debate, after a guest voiced anti-Islam views while wearing a shirt decorated with bacon.
    Jake Kanter, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • This interplay underscored a broader theme: form itself can be a form of ornamentation.
    Essence, Essence, 24 Sep. 2025
  • Around her neck, a rope of heavy onyx beads provided practical ornamentation.
    Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The egg itself sits on a rock-crystal base, which is shaped like a block of melting ice and adorned with even more diamonds and platinum.
    Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Stretching to the pointed edge of the property is a 62-foot-long rectangular infinity pool adorned with mosaic tiles in swirling shapes that mimic the greenish glow of bioluminescence.
    Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • While leaning on the label’s staples — outerwear and its signature double fabric, for example — Aimone also contrasted delicate adornments with precise tailoring and clean lines to bring a fresh perspective to Agnona’s classic formal pieces.
    Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2025
  • The cake is quick to whip up and requires no icing or adornment.
    Patricia S York, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ornament.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ornament. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

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