Synonyms

embellish

American

[em-bel-ish] / ɛmˈbɛl ɪʃ /

verb (used with object)

to beautify by or as if by ornamentation; ornament; adorn.

Synonyms:

embroider, bedeck, garnish, decorate
to enhance (a statement or narrative) with fictitious additions.

embellish British

/ ɪmˈbɛlɪʃ /

verb

to improve or beautify by adding detail or ornament; adorn
to make (a story) more interesting by adding detail
to provide (a melody, part, etc) with ornaments See ornament

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Present

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Etymology

Origin of embellish

1300–50; Middle English embelisshen < Anglo-French, Middle French embeliss- (stem of embelir ), equivalent to em- em- ¹ + bel- (< Latin bellus pretty) + -iss- -ish ²

Explanation

The word "bell" shows up in the middle of embellish, and bells are something that decorate, or embellish something, making it more attractive. If you embellish speech, though, it can get ugly if you add a lot of details that aren't true. Embellish often has the positive meaning of adding something to make it more handsome or beautifully decorated. But, while adding bells to something looks great at first, after a couple of hours of bells ringing in the ears, what was meant to embellish and beautify can get annoying. That's what can happen when you embellish by adding too many false or exaggerated details to a story. Embellishing with true, colorful details and vivid descriptions is what can really enhance the beauty of a story.

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Vocabulary lists containing embellish

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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.

Embellish gifts with Christmas ornaments that coordinate with your decor.

From Southern Living • Nov. 19, 2010

No Need To Embellish One thing visitors notice straightaway is that there�s no landscaping.

From Time Magazine Archive

Yclad in Scarlot, like a mayden Queene, And ermines white: Upon her head a Cremosin coronet, With Damaske roses and Daffadillies set: Bay leaves betweene, And primroses greene, Embellish the sweete Violet.

From Pastoral Poetry and Pastoral Drama A Literary Inquiry, with Special Reference to the Pre-Restoration Stage in England by Greg, Walter W.

Yclad in Scarlot, like a mayden Queene, And ermines white: Upon her head a Cremosin coronet With Damaske roses and Daffadillies set: Bay leaves betweene, And primroses greene, Embellish the sweete Violet.

From Bulchevy's Book of English Verse by Quiller-Couch, Arthur Thomas, Sir

Whose horrid circle had made human life Than non-existence worse; but, taught by thee, Ours are the plans of policy and peace: To live like brothers, and conjunctive all Embellish life.

From Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol III, No 13, 1851 by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023