adornment

[ uh-dawrn-muhnt ]

noun

1. something that adds attractiveness; ornament; accessory:

   the adornments and furnishings of a room.

2. ornamentation; embellishment:

   personal adornment.

Other Words From

• nona·dornment noun
• prea·dornment noun
• rea·dornment noun
• self-a·dornment noun
• super·a·dornment noun
• una·dornment noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of adornment¹

1470–80; adorn + -ment; replacing late Middle English aournement < Middle French

Example Sentences

Everything was just so very big — and with adornment to boot.

From The Daily Beast

The trend for adornment amongst Middle Eastern women is nothing new, but nail polish is often left out of the equation.

From The Daily Beast

The Norway maple came to North America in the 18th century, imported by a Philadelphia merchant and peddled as a garden adornment.

From The Daily Beast

A footnote toward the end of the book gives a short, wonderful history of human adornment, but the discussion remains didactic.

From The Daily Beast

The same two impulses are said to lie at the root of the elaborate art of personal adornment developed by savages.

From Project Gutenberg

Yet I think if we observe closely we shall detect traces of a spontaneous impulse towards self-adornment.

From Project Gutenberg

Imitation of the ways of their elders doubtless plays a part here, but it is aided by an instinct for adornment.

From Project Gutenberg

One of the lower and mixed forms of artistic activity, in the case of the child and of the race alike, is personal adornment.

From Project Gutenberg

Little girls perhaps represent the attractive function of adornment: they like to be thought pretty.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• embellishment
• ornamentation