bedizen

American  

[bih-dahy-zuhn, -diz-uhn] / bɪˈdaɪ zən, -ˈdɪz ən /

verb (used with object)

1. to dress or adorn in a showy, gaudy, or tasteless manner.

   She was bedizened in a sequined gown and an enormous feathered headpiece.

   To my dismay, the new PR team bedizened our website with animated images and text.

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bedizen British  

/ bɪˈdaɪzən, -ˈdɪzən /

verb

1. archaic (tr) to dress or decorate gaudily or tastelessly

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unbedizened
  adjective
• bedizenment
  noun

Etymology

Origin of bedizen

First recorded in 1655–65; be- + dizen

Explanation

Bedizen means to decorate yourself or something else to the max — in an over-the-top flashy style. Picture big jewels and gold bling. Bedizen is used only in written form now, though because so few people know what it actually means you might well get away with saying, "Oh, I like the way you've bedizened yourself today," without getting a slap in the face. In fact, they'll probably take it as a compliment. However, people rarely use bedizen in a complimentary way. From the old Dutch word dizen, meaning "to deck out."

Related Words

• adorn
• bedeck
• brighten
• deck
• do up
• dress up
• festoon
• fix up
• grace
• illuminate
• paint
• renovate
• spruce up
• trim