adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of decorative
Explanation
Things that are decorative have no purpose except to look pretty. Blueberry bushes produce fruit that humans and birds can eat, while boxwood shrubs are purely decorative. The fake buttons on your winter coat are just decorative — then again, your high heeled shoes are more decorative than useful, and your jewelry and makeup is also decorative. The knickknacks on your mantel, the wreath on your front door, and the creepy doll collection in your living room are all decorative as well. These things dress up or ornament your home, and decorative comes from the Latin root decorare, "to decorate, adorn, or beautify."
Vocabulary lists containing decorative
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Filled with eccentric decorative touches that mirrored Simmons’ vibrant public persona, the property features everything from staircase cherubs and boldly patterned wallpaper to curved French doors, terraced gardens, and a key-shaped swimming pool.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 3, 2026
It’s full of decorative phrases like “the stubborn verb of living” that sound “poetic” but do no work.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
Legionella can grow and spread in devices such as hot tubs, cooling towers, hot water tanks, complex plumbing systems, showerheads, sink faucets and decorative fountains, according to the California Department of Public Health.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
More than 400 small manufacturing clusters here make glass items ranging from car headlamp covers and bangles to light shades, decorative items and chandeliers, feeding a domestic market worth over $200mn.
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026
The list of objects blurred together—small pieces of furniture and little decorative items—until it was Wes’s turn.
From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
