Library / English Dictionary

EMBELLISH

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Make more beautiful

Synonyms:

beautify; embellish; fancify; prettify

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "embellish" is one way to...):

ameliorate; amend; better; improve; meliorate (to make better)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "embellish"):

groom; neaten (care for one's external appearance)

curry; dress; groom (give a neat appearance to)

dress up; window-dress (make something appear superficially attractive)

slick up; smarten up; spiff up; spruce; spruce up; titivate; tittivate (make neat, smart, or trim)

polish; shine; smooth; smoothen (make (a surface) shine)

become; suit (enhance the appearance of)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Add details to

Synonyms:

aggrandise; aggrandize; blow up; dramatise; dramatize; embellish; embroider; lard; pad

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "embellish" is one way to...):

amplify; exaggerate; hyperbolise; hyperbolize; magnify; overdraw; overstate (to enlarge beyond bounds or the truth)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "embellish"):

glorify (cause to seem more splendid)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something with something

Sentence example:

They won't embellish the story

Derivation:

embellishment (elaboration of an interpretation by the use of decorative (sometimes fictitious) detail)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.

Example:

beautify yourself for the special day

Synonyms:

adorn; beautify; decorate; embellish; grace; ornament

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Hypernyms (to "embellish" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Verb group:

ornament (be an ornament to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "embellish"):

bedeck; bedight; deck (decorate)

trim (decorate, as with ornaments)

dress; garnish; trim (decorate (food), as with parsley or other ornamental foods)

dress ship (decorate a ship with flags)

bedizen (decorate tastelessly)

scallop (decorate an edge with scallops)

filet; fillet (decorate with a lace of geometric designs)

bejewel; jewel (adorn or decorate with precious stones)

panel (decorate with panels)

redecorate (redo the decoration of an apartment or house)

stucco (decorate with stucco work)

festoon (decorate with strings of flowers)

enamel (coat, inlay, or surface with enamel)

inlay (decorate the surface of by inserting wood, stone, and metal)

lacquer (coat with lacquer)

begild; engild; gild (decorate with, or as if with, gold leaf or liquid gold)

illuminate (add embellishments and paintings to (medieval manuscripts))

blazon; emblazon (decorate with heraldic arms)

color; colour; emblazon (decorate with colors)

fringe (adorn with a fringe)

fret (decorate with an interlaced design)

landscape (embellish with plants)

wreathe (decorate or deck with wreaths)

beset; encrust; incrust (decorate or cover lavishly (as with gems))

braid (decorate with braids or ribbons)

broider; embroider (decorate with needlework)

stick (cover and decorate with objects that pierce the surface)

illustrate (supply with illustrations)

garland (adorn with bands of flowers or leaves)

fledge; flight (decorate with feathers)

bespangle; spangle (decorate with spangles)

foliate (decorate with leaves)

flag (decorate with flags)

bard; barde; caparison; dress up (put a caparison on)

bead (decorate by sewing beads onto)

pipe (trim with piping)

applique (sew on as a decoration)

gild the lily; paint the lily (adorn unnecessarily (something that is already beautiful))

vermiculate (decorate with wavy or winding lines)

smock (embellish by sewing in straight lines crossing each other diagonally)

hang (decorate or furnish with something suspended)

prank (dress or decorate showily or gaudily)

tinsel (adorn with tinsel)

tart up (decorate in a cheap and flashy way)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

They embellish the halls with holly

Derivation:

embellishment (the act of adding extraneous decorations to something)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Be beautiful to look at

Example:

Flowers adorned the tables everywhere

Synonyms:

adorn; beautify; deck; decorate; embellish; grace

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Hypernyms (to "embellish" is one way to...):

be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "embellish"):

ornament (be an ornament to)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Sentence example:

Holly flowers embellish the halls

Credits