embellish

[em-bel-ish]

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verb (used with object)

to beautify by or as if by ornamentation; ornament; adorn.
to enhance (a statement or narrative) with fictitious additions.

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- -ish²

Related formsem·bel·lish·er, nounnon·em·bel·lished, adjectivenon·em·bel·lish·ing, adjectiveo·ver·em·bel·lish, verb (used with object)re·em·bel·lish, verb (used with object)un·em·bel·lished, adjective

Synonyms for embellish

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1. decorate, garnish, bedeck, embroider.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for embellished

bedeck, exaggerate, gild, overstate, festoon, embroider, adorn, trim, magnify, deck, color, enrich, elaborate, ornament, beautify, enhance, array, garnish, fudge, grace

Examples from the Web for embellished

Contemporary Examples of embellished

Repeating an embellished story before a grand jury while under oath is an entirely different matter.
There’s No Conspiracy in Ferguson’s Secret Jury
Paul Callan
November 17, 2014
This time, Knightley updated the frock with embellished sleeves.
Jay Z and Beyoncé Go Vegan; 2013 Was the Year of the Hipster
The Fashion Beast Team
December 4, 2013
The coats were embellished with large gemstones or sprinkled with paillettes.
Paris Fall Fashion Week Ends With Vuitton and Kanye
Robin Givhan
March 7, 2012
His collection of embellished trousers and jackets were unapologetically ostentatious, unapologetically aimed at the one percent.
Paris Fall Fashion Week Ends With Vuitton and Kanye
Robin Givhan
March 7, 2012
Paired with long vests, which were also embellished, they stirred up notions about religious uniforms, rituals, and rapture.
Prada and Gucci Show Off Strong, Smart Sensuality at Milan Fall 2012 Fashion Shows
Robin Givhan
February 24, 2012

Historical Examples of embellished

No parterres, no fountains, no statues, embellished this little garden.
Joseph Andrews, Vol. 2
Henry Fielding
He had a pale face at the best of times, and it was embellished with straw-coloured hair.
The Channings
Mrs. Henry Wood
He exaggerated, embellished, and dramatised the story which he had related to his wife.
The Fortune of the Rougons
Emile Zola
Before another day had passed the news item had been embellished.
Galusha the Magnificent
Joseph C. Lincoln
They, too, like the Egyptians, embellished their tombs with mural paintings.
Architecture
Thomas Roger Smith

British Dictionary definitions for embellished

embellish

verb (tr)

to improve or beautify by adding detail or ornament; adorn
to make (a story) more interesting by adding detail
to provide (a melody, part, etc) with ornamentsSee ornament (def. 5)

Derived Formsembellisher, nounembellishment, noun

Word Origin for embellish

C14: from Old French embelir, from bel beautiful, from Latin bellus

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

Word Origin and History for embellished

embellish

mid-14c., "to render beautiful," from Old French embelliss-, stem of embellir "make beautiful, ornament," from em- (see en- (1)) + bel "beautiful," from Latin bellus (see bene-). Meaning "dress up (a narration) with fictitious matter" is from mid-15c. Related: Embellished; embellishing.