embellish

American  

[em-bel-ish] / ɛmˈbɛl ɪʃ /

verb (used with object)

1. to beautify by or as if by ornamentation; ornament; adorn.

   Synonyms:

   embroider, bedeck, garnish, decorate

2. to enhance (a statement or narrative) with fictitious additions.

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embellish British  

/ ɪmˈbɛlɪʃ /

verb

1. to improve or beautify by adding detail or ornament; adorn

2. to make (a story) more interesting by adding detail

3. to provide (a melody, part, etc) with ornaments See ornament

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Other Word Forms

• embellisher noun
• embellishment noun
• nonembellished adjective
• nonembellishing adjective
• overembellish verb (used with object)
• reembellish verb (used with object)
• unembellished adjective

Etymology

Origin of embellish

1300–50; Middle English embelisshen < Anglo-French, Middle French embeliss- (stem of embelir ), equivalent to em- em- ¹ + bel- (< Latin bellus pretty) + -iss- -ish ²

Explanation

The word "bell" shows up in the middle of embellish, and bells are something that decorate, or embellish something, making it more attractive. If you embellish speech, though, it can get ugly if you add a lot of details that aren't true. Embellish often has the positive meaning of adding something to make it more handsome or beautifully decorated. But, while adding bells to something looks great at first, after a couple of hours of bells ringing in the ears, what was meant to embellish and beautify can get annoying. That's what can happen when you embellish by adding too many false or exaggerated details to a story. Embellishing with true, colorful details and vivid descriptions is what can really enhance the beauty of a story.

Example Sentences

What began as a way to embellish college entrance applications has become a gratifying life experience for the teens as well as the elementary school students.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

The 48-year-old American has long been a controversial figure, often criticized for an overly defensive style, and accused by some of dodging the most dangerous opponents simply to embellish his record.

From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026

Along with the 13 who told the BBC they were pressured to embellish their evidence or lie, that means the evidence of 15 key prosecution witnesses has now been discredited or undermined.

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026

She’s so sure of her melodies that she can embellish them at any moment, stretching or rushing or wriggling them as the impulse strikes.

From New York Times • May 10, 2024

When the insertions arrived in Florence, the covering letter from Riccardi included the sentence, ‘the author may alter or embellish the wording, so long as the substance is preserved’.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

Related Words

• adorn
• bedeck
• dress up
• embroider
• exaggerate
• festoon
• gild
• overstate
• spiff up