ornament
an accessory, article, or detail used to beautify the appearance of something to which it is added or of which it is a part: architectural ornaments.
a system, category, or style of such objects or features; ornamentation: a book on Gothic ornament.
any adornment or means of adornment.
a person or thing that adds to the credit or glory of a society, era, etc.
the act of adorning.
the state of being adorned.
mere outward display: a speech more of ornament than of ideas.
Chiefly Ecclesiastical. any accessory, adjunct, or equipment.
Music. a tone or group of tones applied as decoration to a principal melodic tone.
to furnish with ornaments; embellish: to ornament a musical composition.
to be an ornament to: Several famous scientists were acquired to ornament the university.
Origin of ornament
1Other words for ornament
Other words from ornament
- or·na·ment·er, noun
- o·ver·or·na·ment, verb (used with object)
- re·or·na·ment, verb (used with object)
- su·per·or·na·ment, noun
- su·per·or·na·ment, verb (used with object)
Words Nearby ornament
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use ornament in a sentence
You might not have been considering an ornament from the Supreme Court Historical Society or butterfly-inspired jewelry from Brookside Gardens, but there’s a lot to explore.
The best things to do — virtually and in person — while social distancing in the D.C. area | Fritz Hahn, Hau Chu | November 12, 2020 | Washington PostIt also said the tree would be illuminated throughout December, and visitors are invited to the site to view it and trees representing each state and territory and the District, decorated with ornaments designed by students from across the country.
No live audience for National Christmas Tree Lighting, park service says | Martin Weil | November 11, 2020 | Washington PostTo commemorate surviving 2020—something that everyone should celebrate—we’ve picked out a few ornaments that seem quite fitting for these times.
Show them your father will not, will no longer, have license to treat you as ornaments for his own ego and needs.
Carolyn Hax: How to tell Dad that you want to dispense with the unpleasantries | Carolyn Hax | November 6, 2020 | Washington PostThis battery-free device dangles like an ornament from a tree and harvests all the energy it needs from the natural swaying of branches.
Trees power this alarm system for remote forest fires | Stephen Ornes | October 16, 2020 | Science News For Students
McConnell soon followed, beaming like an ornament atop a Christmas tree.
It is your ornament, your grace, your seduction, your chant for courting.
‘Mirages’: Anaïs Nin’s Intimate, Unexpurgated Diaries | Lizzie Crocker | October 26, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe Daily Pic: Silversmith Sakurako Shimizu makes ornament from exclamations.
She inspired the designer to craft a brilliant silver minidress with a lightning-bolt head ornament.
Armani Goes Gaga: Giorgio Armani Intoxicated by Lady Gaga | Robin Givhan | February 6, 2011 | THE DAILY BEASTShe was examining the ornament on the back of which was carved a miniature bar of music, with three or four notes.
The Cromptons | Mary J. HolmesMeantime the court receives the rents; the garden, the chief ornament of the town, is running wild, and the house is deserted.
Journal of a Voyage to Brazil | Maria GrahamThe trees are sometimes prettily arranged in alleys, but are planted far less for ornament than for use.
A Woman's Journey Round the World | Ida PfeifferShe was dressed in a high-necked dress of black lace, and wore in her corsage a large circular ornament of diamonds and emeralds.
The Doctor of Pimlico | William Le QueuxThree clubs, which look from without to be very comfortable, ornament this square with their gas-lamps.
Little Travels and Roadside Sketches | William Makepeace Thackeray
British Dictionary definitions for ornament
anything that enhances the appearance of a person or thing
decorations collectively: she was totally without ornament
a small decorative object
something regarded as a source of pride or beauty
music any of several decorations, such as the trill, mordent, etc, occurring chiefly as improvised embellishments in baroque music
to decorate with or as if with ornaments
to serve as an ornament to
Origin of ornament
1Derived forms of ornament
- ornamentation, noun
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
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