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embellish

verb
em·​bel·​lish | \ im-ˈbe-lish How to pronounce embellish (audio) \
embellished; embellishing; embellishes

Definition of embellish

transitive verb

1 : to make beautiful with ornamentation : decorate a book embellished with illustrations
2 : to heighten the attractiveness of by adding decorative or fanciful details : enhance embellished our account of the trip
Other Words from embellish Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about embellish

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Other Words from embellish

embellisher noun

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Did You Know?

Like its synonyms adorn, ornament, and garnish, embellish means to make something beautiful by the addition of a decorative or fanciful feature. Traditionally, the word is used specifically to stress the addition of superfluous or adventitious ornament, as in "The printer embellished the page with a floral border." Embellish differs from its synonyms, however, in that it is sometimes used in a euphemistic way to refer to the inclusion of details that are not necessarily true to make a story sound more appealing. The word derives via Middle English from the Anglo-French verb embelir, from en- and bel ("beautiful").

Examples of embellish in a Sentence

a book embellished with colorful illustrations He embellished his speech with a few quotations.

Recent Examples on the Web

 The 5,000-square-foot space, which opened this month, is a contemporary take on a Japanese-like garden, embellished with delicate cherry blossoms, soft pink sofas, and views of the downtown skyline and Coronado Bay Bridge. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Downtown San Diego cinema now comes with a rooftop bar — and sushi," 22 Aug. 2019 Which means some of it comes out perfectly factual and some is embellished by time. — Andrew Dansby, Houston Chronicle, "Rodney Crowell on dogs, ghosts, Texas and Ringo Starr," 13 Aug. 2019 Wander Istanbul’s sunken palace Yerebatan Sarayi, or Sunken Palace, is the accurate local descriptor given to this showy underground reservoir embellished under the rule of Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian in A.D. 532. — Meghan Miner Murray, National Geographic, "9 of Europe’s underground marvels," 2 Aug. 2019 Use a glue gun to embellish lampshades, drape panels and throw pillows. — Marni Jameson, orlandosentinel.com, "Madcap Couple: 10 Ways to pile on pizzazz at home," 19 July 2019 They are embellished with paper florals and cute personalized titles for the books. — Lyndi Mcnulty, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "An Eye for Art: Artist’s lifelong fascination with color brings power to her work," 31 July 2019 Not gold plated, it's made of real gold and embellished with diamonds. — Jon Porter, The Verge, "Redmi India has turned its affordably priced phone into real gold," 17 July 2019 Asymmetrical earrings, chokers and double- and triple-finger rings are key to the collection; the latter is seen here in 18-karat white gold, embellished with diamonds, sapphires, Paraiba tourmalines and emeralds. — Laurie Brookins, The Hollywood Reporter, "The Latest Red Carpet-Ready Looks From Paris High-Jewelry Collections," 8 July 2019 In February, Gucci discontinued a black turtleneck sweater with a red-rimmed cutout for the mouth, and Katy Perry’s eponymous shoe collection dropped two pairs of black shoes embellished with eyes and exaggerated red lips. — Kim Willis, USA TODAY, "Italian airline Alitalia 'deeply apologizes' for Obama video showing an actor in blackface," 4 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'embellish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of embellish

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for embellish

Middle English, from Anglo-French embeliss-, stem of embelir, from en- + bel beautiful — more at beauty

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More Definitions for embellish

embellish

verb
How to pronounce embellish (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of embellish

: to decorate (something) by adding special details and features : to make (something) more appealing or attractive

See the full definition for embellish in the English Language Learners Dictionary

embellish

verb
em·​bel·​lish | \ im-ˈbe-lish How to pronounce embellish (audio) \
embellished; embellishing

Kids Definition of embellish

: decorate sense 1 Artwork embellished the book.

Other Words from embellish

embellishment \ -​mənt \ noun

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