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 Word Forms

• nonadornment noun
• preadornment noun
• readornment noun
• self-adornment noun
• superadornment noun
• unadornment noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of adornment¹

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

Example Sentences

Scott’s often been accused in the past of doing “too much,” excessive adornment, but in this context, all of it works.

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What follows will touch on religious and mystical iconography — we’ll meet three lantern-carrying masked figures, for instance, with exaggerated, regal adornments as they herald a birth.

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A moment where Ruth sees a woman wearing a potato chip clip as a hair adornment captures that atmosphere.

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Independent experts have said that they could find no real connection between gang membership and tattoos, a popular adornment for Venezuelans and nearly one-third of Americans.

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And then with the hair adornment, you have the alligator, you have honey bees.

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Related Words

• embellishment 
• ornamentation