ornate

[ awr-neyt ]

/ ɔrˈneɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ornate ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

elaborately or sumptuously adorned, often excessively or showily so: They bought an ornate Louis XIV sofa.

embellished with rhetoric; florid or high-flown: an ornate style of writing.

Nearby words

ornament, ornamental, ornamentalism, ornamentation, ornamented, ornate, orne, ornery, ornis, ornith-, ornith.

Origin of ornate

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin ornātus well-equipped, adorned, orig. past participle of ornāre to equip; see -ate¹

SYNONYMS FOR ornate

1 showy, ostentatious; rich, lavish.

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Related forms

or·nate·ly, adverbor·nate·ness, nounun·or·nate, adjectiveun·or·nate·ly, adverb

un·or·nate·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ornate

The tomb, though much smaller than the palace, is similarly a vision of ornate twists, arches, and peaks.
The Postman Who Built a Palace in France…by Hand|Nina Strochlic|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Entering the theater brings visitors to an ornate lobby with vaulted ceilings, golden walls, and an enormous chandelier.
How to Save Silent Movies: Inside New Jersey’s Cinema Paradiso|Rich Goldstein|October 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 1997, Whit Stillman re-created Studio 54 in its ornate lobby for his film The Last Days of Disco.
How to Save Silent Movies: Inside New Jersey’s Cinema Paradiso|Rich Goldstein|October 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Their services have been held in small chapels, ornate synagogues, simple firehouses, and grand cathedrals.
The Resilient City: New York After 9/11|John Avlon|September 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Stairways painted blue connect covered walkways stuffed with small stores selling jewelry, scarves, and ornate pottery.
Morocco's Secret All-Blue City|Nina Strochlic|August 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Larger images may be viewed by clicking on any picture except the ornate letters.
At the Sign of the Barber's Pole|William Andrews
Another prominent element in Enoch Arden is yet more suitable to, yet more requires the aid of, ornate art.
English Critical Essays|Various
There is in the unadorned picture of any incident in the past a sort of hallowed character that no ornate frame can improve.
T. De Witt Talmage|T. De Witt Talmage
The third floor front room of his ornate mansion on Brooklyn's Park Slope was dedicated to peaceful thought.
Average Jones|Samuel Hopkins Adams
They faced one another across the table piled with ornate silver.
The Wild Olive|Basil King

British Dictionary definitions for ornate

ornate

/ (ɔːˈneɪt) /

adjective

heavily or elaborately decorated

(of style in writing) overembellished; flowery

Derived Forms

ornately, adverbornateness, noun

Word Origin for ornate

C15: from Latin ornāre to decorate

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

ornate

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of ornate

SYNONYMS FOR ornate

Related forms

Examples from the Web for ornate

British Dictionary definitions for ornate

ornate

adjective

Derived Forms

Word Origin for ornate