garnish 1 of 2

noun

Definition of garnishnext
as in decoration
something that decorates or beautifies added a garnish of parsley to the plate before serving it

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

garnish

2 of 2

verb

ˈgär-nish How to pronounce garnish (audio)
as in to decorate
to make more attractive by adding something that is beautiful or becoming a chef who never served any dish without first garnishing it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of garnish are adorn, beautify, deck, decorate, embellish, and ornament. While all these words mean "to enhance the appearance of something by adding something unessential," garnish suggests decorating with a small final touch and is used especially in referring to the serving of food.

an entrée garnished with parsley

Where would adorn be a reasonable alternative to garnish?

In some situations, the words adorn and garnish are roughly equivalent. However, 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 garnish?

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

will beautify the grounds with flower beds

When can deck be used instead of garnish?

The synonyms deck and garnish are sometimes interchangeable, but deck implies the addition of something that contributes to gaiety, splendor, or showiness.

a house all decked out for Christmas

When is decorate a more appropriate choice than garnish?

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

decorate a birthday cake

When is it sensible to use embellish instead of garnish?

The words embellish and garnish can be used in similar contexts, but embellish often stresses the adding of superfluous or adventitious ornament.

embellish a page with floral borders

How do ornament and embellish relate to one another, in the sense of garnish?

Both 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

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 garnish
Noun
One of the most memorable scenes from You've Got Mail features Kathleen (Ryan) chastising Joe (Tom Hanks) for hoarding all of the caviar instead of using it as a garnish. —Ilana Kaplan, People.com, 14 June 2025 Strain into a pre-chilled martini glass and garnish with a lemon twist. —Jillian Dara, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
Verb
Toss in the nuts, scallions, and cilantro and serve garnished with more cilantro and lime wedges. —Beth Dooley, Boston Herald, 25 June 2025 Two million people could see their wages garnished this summer, TransUnion predicts. —Chris Morris, Fortune, 24 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for garnish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for garnish
  1. decoration
  2. decorate
  3. ornamentation
  4. adorn
  5. ornament
  6. garnishment
  7. adornment
Noun
  • And don’t underestimate the power of beauty—not as decoration, but as revelation.
    — Matthew Clark Davison, Literary Hub, 18 July 2025
  • Consequently, there’s a race against the clock to finish the floats and decorations before time runs out.
    — Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 11 July 2025
Definition of decoration
Verb
  • Her final Instagram post showed a towering pink and white birthday cake decorated with a carousel figurine topper.
    — Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 15 July 2025
  • The pioneer of the Little Black Dress offered plenty of those as well variations decorated in feathers.
    — Ari Stark, Footwear News, 14 July 2025
Definition of decorate
Noun
  • Their handbags would be architectural in shape, sleek and spare of overwrought ornamentation.
    — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 17 June 2025
  • The Raw Edition from Copenhagen Distillery is a clear statement of intent, avoiding ornamentation and putting instead process and material at the forefront.
    — Paul Caputo, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
Definition of ornamentation
Verb
  • Both pieces of the swimsuit were adorned with crystal embellishments.
    — Starr Bowenbank, People.com, 15 July 2025
  • This is an excellent, strange little book that appeared in 2011 and had a profound impact on me, and apparently on Florence Welch who adorns the cover with a generous quote.
    — Hattie Williams July 14, Literary Hub, 14 July 2025
Definition of adorn
Noun
  • Experts believe that rice played a role in rituals that were performed in the cave, which also included fine pottery, shell pendants and ornaments.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2025
  • Right now, Amazon has marked down window candles, pillow covers, ornaments, and string lights to celebrate Christmas in July.
    — Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 10 July 2025
Definition of ornament
Noun
  • Efforts to resume collections officially kicked off in May, with the Department of Education (ED) warning that if appropriate steps are not taken to resolve the issue, student loan borrowers will be subject to wage garnishment and could see their credit scores take a significant hit.
    — Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 June 2025
  • Defaulted borrowers at risk of wage garnishment Student loan collections efforts had largely been on pause since the pandemic began in March 2020, but Trump administration officials have said that taxpayers shouldn’t be on the hook when people don’t repay their education debt.
    — Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 26 June 2025
Definition of garnishment
Noun
  • And who could forget the Trader Joe’s mini canvas tote TikTok craze that had shoppers swiping the supermarket’s stock to later DIY with ribbons, embroidery, and Jane Birkin-esque adornments?
    — Footwear News, Footwear News, 3 July 2025
  • This piece includes a lot of adornments and beautiful items, Yang places the gold finger at the bottom of the work to literally ‘point out’ the danger of placing value on the wrong things, this is King Midas’s finger - who famously was confronted with the dangerous reality of his desires.
    — Lee Sharrock, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
Definition of adornment

Browse Nearby Words

garners
garnish
garnished
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Cite this Entry

“Garnish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/garnish. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.

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More from Merriam-Webster on garnish

Nglish: Translation of garnish for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about garnish

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