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Synonyms

decorator

American  
[dek-uh-rey-ter] / ˈdɛk əˌreɪ tər /

noun

  1. interior designer.

  2. a person who decorates.

adjective

  1. harmonizing with or suitable for a scheme of interior decoration.

    appliances in decorator colors.
decorator British  
/ ˈdɛkəˌreɪtə /

noun

  1. a person whose profession is the painting and wallpapering of buildings

  2. a person who decorates

  3. See interior decorator

"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

Etymology

Origin of decorator

First recorded in 1745–55; decorate + -or 2

Explanation

A decorator is a person whose job involves decorating rooms — fixing them up, painting, arranging furniture, and so on. Your uncle might hire a decorator to help him furnish his brand new, fancy vacation home. You can also call a decorator a designer or an interior designer. Skilled decorators are particularly good at combining colors, fabrics, rugs, and furniture styles to make a good-looking space. Even if you're not a professional decorator, you could offer to help a friend decorate her apartment, painting her walls bright orange and sewing fuzzy green pillows for her sofa. Decorator comes from the Latin word decorare, "to adorn, embellish, or beautify."

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Vocabulary lists containing decorator

Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -er, -or

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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.

My mom, Mickey, was an interior decorator, and my father, Stanley, owned an import/export business.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

Taufic Suleman, a painter and decorator from Ghana, felt "irritated" when the foreign minister announced that IShowSpeed, who grew up in the US but has a Ghanaian mother, had been approved for a passport.

From BBC • Feb. 6, 2026

Hungary's film service industry also gives breakout opportunities to talented artists, such as set decorator Zsuzsanna Sipos.

From Barron's • Nov. 30, 2025

Designed by Canadian interior decorator Lori Morris, the mansion abounds with upscale finishes and chic glamour.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 27, 2025

"You might as well redecorate the entire kitchen," Grace Wexler, decorator, proposed.

From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin

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.