embellish

[ em-bel-ish ]
See synonyms for: embellishembellishedembellishesembellishing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to beautify by or as if by ornamentation; ornament; adorn.

  2. to enhance (a statement or narrative) with fictitious additions.

Origin of embellish

1
1300–50; Middle English embelisshen<Anglo-French, Middle French embeliss- (stem of embelir), equivalent to em-em-1 + bel- (<Latin bellus pretty) + -iss--ish2

Other words for embellish

Other words from embellish

  • em·bel·lish·er, noun
  • non·em·bel·lished, adjective
  • non·em·bel·lish·ing, adjective
  • o·ver·em·bel·lish, verb (used with object)
  • re·em·bel·lish, verb (used with object)
  • un·em·bel·lished, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use embellish in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for embellish

embellish

/ (ɪmˈbɛlɪʃ) /


verb(tr)
  1. to improve or beautify by adding detail or ornament; adorn

  2. to make (a story) more interesting by adding detail

  1. to provide (a melody, part, etc) with ornaments: See ornament (def. 5)

Origin of embellish

1
C14: from Old French embelir, from bel beautiful, from Latin bellus

Derived forms of embellish

  • embellisher, noun
  • embellishment, noun

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