decorative

[ dek-er-uh-tiv, dek-ruh-, dek-uh-rey- ]

/ ˈdɛk ər ə tɪv, ˈdɛk rə-, ˈdɛk əˌreɪ- /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR decorative ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

serving or tending to decorate.

Fine Arts. serving only to decorate, in contrast to providing a meaningful experience.

Words nearby decorative

decorated, decorated shed, decorated style, decoration, decoration day, decorative, decorative art, decorator, decorous, decorticate, decortication

Origin of decorative

First recorded in 1785–95; decorate + -ive

OTHER WORDS FROM decorative

dec·o·ra·tive·ly, adverbdec·o·ra·tive·ness, nounnon·dec·o·ra·tive, adjectiveo·ver·dec·o·ra·tive, adjective

o·ver·dec·o·ra·tive·ly, adverbo·ver·dec·o·ra·tive·ness, nounun·dec·o·ra·tive, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for decorative

Decorative yes, but a daily handbag that will sweep through the closets of women worldwide?
Handbags: The More You Pay, The Smaller They Shrink|Elizabeth Landers|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Decorative value is largely incidental to artistic merit as defined by critics.
Sneer and Clothing in Miami: Inside The $3 Billion Woodstock of Contemporary Art|Jay Michaelson|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Having been taught Modernism, a school of thought that scoffs at the decorative, materials became his primary means of expression.
Frank Gehry Is Architecture’s Mad Genius|Sarah Moroz|October 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Undergarments did enjoy a brief moment of exposure in the 18th century, with the ruling class indulging in decorative corsets.
What Lies Beneath: How Lingerie Got Sexy|Raquel Laneri|June 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST

What such tours show most surreally is that both mother and baby share a silent, symbolic, decorative role.
Calm Down, Prince George Is Just a Baby|Tim Teeman|April 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A jelly with a flower in the top, or of two colors, will make a decorative piece for the table.
The Century Cook Book|Mary Ronald
Not a bit of worldly conceit, not a decorative adjunct of any kind, adorns the composition, but it is a perfect achievement.
Franz Hals|Edgcumbe Staley
The constant use of the column for decorative purposes is a marked characteristic.
Architecture|Thomas Roger Smith
The ceiling, decorated with scenes from Old Testament history, is painted with all the masters force and decorative science.
Venice and its Story|Thomas Okey
The Jacobean period was a decorative one, but not one of the highest level of the art of bookbinding.
English Heraldic Book-stamps|Cyril Davenport

British Dictionary definitions for decorative

decorative

/ (ˈdɛkərətɪv, ˈdɛkrətɪv) /

adjective

serving to decorate or adorn; ornamental

Derived forms of decorative

decoratively, adverbdecorativeness, 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

decorative

adjective

Words related to decorative

Words nearby decorative

Origin of decorative

OTHER WORDS FROM decorative

Examples from the Web for decorative

British Dictionary definitions for decorative

adjective

Derived forms of decorative