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
Statues of Disney can be found at both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, and trinkets bearing his image, including an ornament of the latter, can occasionally be spotted for sale in the park’s gift shops. Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2025 Archaeologists said the metal ornaments were all well-made, and the swords are a rare find with few equivalents ever found in Europe. Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2025
Verb
Plus, if Saint Laurent’s spring/summer 2025 collection is any indication, businesslike ties will be ornamenting female necks next season. Monica Ainley, Vogue, 21 Dec. 2024 Rothschild, neighbors said, maintained a vintage car collection, storing some at his house and others up the street at another property that was ornamented with busts of great thinkers including Raphael and Michelangelo -- and several security cameras. Daniel Miller Los Angeles Times (tns), arkansasonline.com, 30 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for ornament
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ornament
Noun
  • With a watermelon treat and party decorations, of course.
    Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 28 May 2025
  • Across the five floors, which include the ground floor and the basement, all the structures accumulated in recent times were stripped away during the restoration to reveal 19th century decorations, 18th century trompe l’oeils, late 17th century frescoes and even earlier ornamentation.
    Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 24 May 2025
Verb
  • Read Next World 1,400-year-old crown — still decorated with insect wings — found in South Korea May 22, 2025 1:16 PM Read Next World Students locate ancient Roman army camp beyond empire’s northern border.
    Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 30 May 2025
  • In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with mothers awarded the honorary title of Mother Heroine and families decorated with the Order of Parental...
    Clare Morell, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 May 2025
Noun
  • Strong lines that team up to form geometric designs, metallic accents, luxe materials like marble and velvet, and eye-catching ornamentation are certainly part of the style's foundation, true.
    Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 May 2025
  • The tomb should be in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation, and bearing only the inscription: Franciscus.
    Greta Cross, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • It’s carved from a snaking mulberry branch and adorned with microchips, with a C.P.U. fan and a small desk clock embedded in the smoothly polished wood near its head.
    Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 29 May 2025
  • Signature lines from the production adorn the entry wall, a remote control signals a projector to show films from the 1960’s, the musical’s era, including Cool Hand Luke and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid starring the main character’s idol Paul Newman.
    Laurie Werner, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
Noun
  • Yet for all her academic rigor and philanthropic reach, Emily was not above the language of adornment—jewels that, like her, balanced intellect, elegance, and restraint.
    Annie Davidson, Robb Report, 29 May 2025
  • An unusual piece of adornment with profound and tragic historical significance in the United States is up for auction by the Freeman’s | Hindman auction house.
    Anthony DeMarco, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ornament.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ornament. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

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