adorned

American  

[uh-dawrnd] / əˈdɔrnd /

adjective

1. decorated or beautified, as by ornaments.

   On the road to Karachi we saw yellow and white taxis and convoys of garishly adorned trucks.

2. made more pleasing, impressive, etc.; enhanced.

   The university is located in Krakow, Poland, one of the most attractive and culturally adorned cities in Eastern Europe.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of adorn.

Other Word Forms

• overadorned adjective
• unadorned adjective
• well-adorned adjective

Etymology

Origin of adorned

adorn ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

Something or someone that's adorned is decorated or dressed up in some way, like your favorite shirt, adorned with sequins and glitter. The adjective adorned is great for describing anything that's embellished or trimmed with decorations. You may prefer the look of a nearly bare Christmas tree, adorned only with tiny white lights, while your sister prefers copious amounts of tinsel and ornaments. Adorned comes from the verb adorn, and its Latin root adornare, which means "furnish or provide" and also "decorate."

Example Sentences

Puppeteers, dressed in the classic Bob Baker red from head to toe, brought out some of the company’s beloved icons — including the show’s host, Pink Cat, adorned in sequins and jewelry.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

Thousands of years ago, in the earliest known civilizations, royals adorned themselves in gold to signify status.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Already in Algiers ahead of the historic visit, the atmosphere of an imminent celebration pervaded the air, with walls repainted, roads repaved and green spaces adorned with plants and flowerpots.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

I still recall the promise of new-millennium digital iconography, when knowledge fused with access, and posters with images of kids surfing on textbooks down the information superhighway adorned school computer rooms.

From Salon • Apr. 12, 2026

Now it was not only shut, but locked, and yesterday’s mud still adorned the steps.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

Related Words

• decorated
• embellished