embellishment

[em-bel-ish-muhnt]

noun

1. an ornament or decoration.

2. a fictitious addition, as to a factual statement.

3. Music.

   1. ornament.

   2. auxiliary tone.

4. the act of embellishing.

5. state of being embellished.

Other Word Forms

• nonembellishment noun
• overembellishment noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of embellishment¹

First recorded in 1615–25; embellish + -ment

Example Sentences

The scenes follow her attempts to shake off her dependency on Xavier, gliding in an elegant but wispy and uncentered way between memories, philosophical maunderings and embellishments of imagined interactions.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

While its charm lies in its refusal of precise definition, junk journaling generally consists of compiling scrap items and keepsakes into curated notebooks, which can also contain personal musings, ornamental stickers and other embellishments.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

This reflects a growing interest that has driven demand for custom-made outfits with bold designs and unique embellishments.

Read more on BBC

However, what all these different iterations share stylistically, regardless of whatever embellishments surround the Buddha, is a sense of stable, enduring calm at the core.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“Swan Lake” has become so familiar that modern embellishments become just a lot more baggage.

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Related Words

• adornment 
• coloring 
• embroidery 
• ornamentation