decorated
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of decorated
Explanation
When something is embellished or made more beautiful, it's decorated, like the elaborately decorated cookies you made your parents for their anniversary. Besides things that are ornamented or adorned with decorations, you can also use this adjective for people who are honored, particularly soldiers who have served heroically. A decorated war veteran has received medals, awards, and honors from the military. Decorated soldiers often wear their medals on their uniforms. The Latin root of decorated is decus, "an ornament."
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.
Photos released by the CIA show American officials meeting with Cuban officials—who wore black suits instead of the usual white guayaberas—over a long, white table decorated with bouquets of red roses and baby’s breath.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
The main street was still decorated for Ramadan, and almost all houses seemed abandoned.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
The Weisses hired garden specialists to review decades-old photos of the Penguin Coffee Shop to determine which varieties of flowers decorated the front of the restaurant, then they replanted them.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
I have a waterproof outfit, a tarpaulin over the bench, decorated with union jacks.
From BBC • May 10, 2026
One in particular catches my eye—it’s round and white and is decorated in a pattern of little red fishes.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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.
