embellish
Americanverb (used with object)
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embellishes,
present (3rd person singular)
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embellished,
past participle, past
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embellishing
present participle
verb
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to improve or beautify by adding detail or ornament; adorn
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to make (a story) more interesting by adding detail
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to provide (a melody, part, etc) with ornaments See ornament
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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embellishernoun
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embellishmentnoun
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overembellishverb (used with object)
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reembellishverb (used with object)
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nonembellishedadjective
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nonembellishingadjective
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unembellishedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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embellishsimple
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embellishessimple
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have embellishedperfect
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has embellishedperfect
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am embellishingprogressive
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are embellishingprogressive
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is embellishingprogressive
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have been embellishingperfect progressive
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has been embellishingperfect progressive
Past
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embellishedsimple
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had embellishedperfect
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was embellishingprogressive
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were embellishingprogressive
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had been embellishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of embellish
1300–50; Middle English embelisshen < Anglo-French, Middle French embeliss- (stem of embelir ), equivalent to em- em- 1 + bel- (< Latin bellus pretty) + -iss- -ish 2
Explanation
The word "bell" shows up in the middle of embellish, and bells are something that decorate, or embellish something, making it more attractive. If you embellish speech, though, it can get ugly if you add a lot of details that aren't true. Embellish often has the positive meaning of adding something to make it more handsome or beautifully decorated. But, while adding bells to something looks great at first, after a couple of hours of bells ringing in the ears, what was meant to embellish and beautify can get annoying. That's what can happen when you embellish by adding too many false or exaggerated details to a story. Embellishing with true, colorful details and vivid descriptions is what can really enhance the beauty of a story.
Vocabulary lists containing embellish
List 5
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "E"
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The Fault in Our Stars
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
There’s a vocabulary and a shorthand in how characters are depicted in TV series, especially in crime thrillers where the police-procedural aspects are supposed to embellish the characterizations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
The 48-year-old American has long been a controversial figure, often criticized for an overly defensive style, and accused by some of dodging the most dangerous opponents simply to embellish his record.
From Barron's ● Feb. 23, 2026
A total of 13 other witnesses used to support the prosecution case have now told the BBC the police pressured them to embellish their statements or lie in court.
From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026
But rather than update what was there, Irvine saw an opportunity to add a greater contrast with the more festive waltz in the prior room as well as to embellish the Mansion’s tale.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 17, 2025
I was glad the girls were heeding my advice not to embellish because at that moment nothing we could have said would have made things better for them.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
Though the novel is steeped in research, the island kingdom it portrays predates written records, so Mr. Johnson freely embellishes his intense tale with magic and mythology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 3, 2025
Hey, it’s television — a medium that regularly exaggerates and embellishes for the public’s entertainment.
From Seattle Times ● May 15, 2022
The kitchen embellishes further with sliced potatoes and black truffles.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 4, 2022
"Opportunity" embellishes the narrative that he came from a relatively ordinary background and while he succeeded in his former profession, many people today don't feel they, or their children, have the same life chances.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2021
Medieval painting, for instance, is to a large extent “applied,” in the sense that it embellishes surfaces which serve other, practical purposes as well—walls, book pages, windows, furniture.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
You’d anticipate moments like that to be embellished with improv, but it’s all tightly scripted.“Of all the TV comedies I’ve worked on, this one has the most already on the page,” says DeYoung.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Gray shades embellished with a circular “Hogwarts Express” logo covered all the windows, so visitors can’t see outside.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
But frustration was mounting until Bellingham's quality and industry paid off with England's opener, capping a man-of-the-match performance further embellished with his assist for Kane.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
Drummers embellished the rhythm of partygoers chanting “Knicks in 5.”
From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2026
It all got twisted up in nightmares in the days that followed, and embellished by Lazlo’s horror and regret.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
The scandal erupted last month after some academics and media reports accused Arday of plagiarising parts of his doctoral thesis and embellishing his life achievements.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
The reason is that the sport’s fancy new automated ball-strike system couldn’t function without it—which means that the days of players embellishing their heights for posterity are officially over.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026
Padilla spoke up to say that Noem was "exaggerating and embellishing" before being confronted by security.
From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2025
Pierre et Gilles created the painting in 2023, by first taking a photo of Smith posing before then hand painting and embellishing the image.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2024
Winston, in addition to his regular work, spent long periods every day in going through back files of the Times and altering and embellishing news items which were to be quoted in speeches.
From "1984" by George Orwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
