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

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Etymology

Origin of embroidery

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

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Compare meaning

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

• cross-stitch vs. embroidery

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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

Whereas the curator is obsessed with evocative details, down to the placement of embroidery needles, the rather mopey fairy tale deals purely in generalities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

"It feels like you're in the battlefield," he added, praising the "real sense of movement" in the embroidery.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

"It shows what collaboration can achieve," Burnham told Macron on Thursday, saying France's loan to Britain of the almost thousand-year-old embroidery was a "huge personal gesture of goodwill, trust and friendship".

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

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 women's long dresses were made of thick fabrics, purple, gold, and navy blue, and stitched brightly with fabulous, complicated embroidery.

From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye

Then, there are rare Indo-Portuguese embroideries and some Haji Rumals - embroidered religious cloth once exported to Indonesia and parts of the Arab world as a headdress for men.

From BBC ● Mar. 29, 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

This short poncho-like mantle, made from a blanket the color of faded terra cotta, whose embroideries form a veritable encyclopedia of the stuff of everyday living.

From New York Times ● May 5, 2023

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 too was dressed in an outfit similar to the man’s, except hers had a few cheap embroideries.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

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Related Words

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

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