embroidery

American  

[em-broi-duh-ree, -dree] / ɛmˈbrɔɪ də ri, -dri /

noun

• embroideries
  plural

1. the art of working raised and ornamental designs in threads of silk, cotton, gold, silver, or other material, upon any woven fabric, leather, paper, etc., with a needle.

2. embroidered work or ornamentation.

3. elaboration or embellishment, as in telling a story.

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embroidery British  

/ ɪmˈbrɔɪdərɪ /

noun

1. decorative needlework done usually on loosely woven cloth or canvas, often being a picture or pattern

2. elaboration or exaggeration, esp in writing or reporting; embellishment

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• embroideries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of embroidery

1350–1400; Middle English embrouderie needlework on cloth < Middle French embroud ( er ) + Middle English -erie -ery; oi from embroider

Compare meaning

How does embroidery compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• cross-stitch vs. embroidery

Explanation

Embroidery is the act of decorating a piece of cloth with a stitched design. You may have seen large medieval examples of embroidery hanging on the walls of museums depicting flowers and wild animals and the like. Embroidery also has a common figurative meaning of something deceptive, or an excessive and unnecessary detail designed to mislead, or simply something vain and foolish (see embellishment.) The great American designer Buckminster Fuller summed up this sense of the word nicely: "Tombs are the clothes of the dead and a grave is a plain suit; while an expensive monument is one with embroidery."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

embroidery embroideries

In the middle of enthusing about a cross-stitch embroidery project, she says, “Don’t roll your eyes at me!”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

The artwork, which chronicles scenes from the 1066 Battle of Hastings and the start of the Norman Conquest of England, was held in a shock-proof and temperature controlled case to protect the delicate embroidery.

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

I’ve seen it on many products, in many different presentations — pink-glitter bubble letters on a sticker, loopy black cursive on a tote bag, industrial embroidery on a hat.

From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026

Dr Cullinan said great care would be taken to protect the embroidery during its visit, and that British ticket buyers would have the rare opportunity to see it at its full length.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

Books and pencils and porridge oats get dearer by the day, and the girls go through embroidery floss at an alarming rate.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

Also designed by Hartnell, the Queen's 1953 Coronation dress was made from silk produced in Kent and features gold bugle beads, diamantés and pearls in exquisitely designed embroideries.

From BBC ● Dec. 26, 2025

Famed mass placard displays in stadiums often feature wartime imagery, and foreign tourists can buy posters and embroideries of soldiers and partisans in Pyongyang.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 26, 2023

Throughout an era dominated by oppressive minimalism, Sabyasachi’s clothes remained refreshingly maximalist, a celebration of Indian decorative arts, a menagerie of interlocking embroideries entirely outside Western trends.

From New York Times ● Jun. 22, 2022

That means choosing the right colours, embroideries for gowns, non-crease fabrics and ensuring necklines, sleeves and hemlines are the correct length.

From Reuters ● May 18, 2022

She was a Swede, and she let Laura and Mary look at the pretty things she had brought from Sweden—laces, and colored embroideries, and china.

From "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Related Words

• brocade
• decoration
• lace
• needlepoint
• quilting
• tapestry