ornament
Americannoun
-
ornaments
plural
-
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.
- Synonyms:
- embellishment
-
a system, category, or style of such objects or features; ornamentation.
a book on Gothic ornament.
-
any adornment or means of adornment.
- Synonyms:
- decoration
-
a person or thing that adds to the credit or glory of a society, era, etc.
-
the act of adorning.
- Synonyms:
- decoration
-
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.
verb (used with object)
-
ornaments,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ornamented,
past participle, past
-
ornamenting
present participle
noun
-
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
verb
-
to decorate with or as if with ornaments
-
to serve as an ornament to
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
ornamentationnoun
-
ornamenternoun
-
superornamentnoun
-
overornamentverb (used with object)
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reornamentverb (used with object)
-
superornamentverb (used with object)
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
ornamentsimple
-
ornamentssimple
-
have ornamentedperfect
-
has ornamentedperfect
-
am ornamentingprogressive
-
are ornamentingprogressive
-
is ornamentingprogressive
-
have been ornamentingperfect progressive
-
has been ornamentingperfect progressive
Past
-
ornamentedsimple
-
had ornamentedperfect
-
was ornamentingprogressive
-
were ornamentingprogressive
-
had been ornamentingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ornament
1175–1225; < Latin ornāmentum equipment, ornament, equivalent to ornā ( re ) to equip + -mentum -ment; replacing Middle English ornement < Old French < Latin, as above
Explanation
An ornament is a decoration. You can also ornament something by making it more beautiful or festive. The most common use of ornament is probably in Christmas ornaments, which decorate a tree. Similarly, any ornament makes something prettier, flashier, or more festive. When you ornament something, you're beautifying, embellishing, or adorning it. Women ornament themselves with makeup. Men ornament themselves with face paint at football games. People ornament their offices with pictures of their families. Different cultures have their own ways of ornamenting themselves and their homes. If something looks boring, why not ornament it?
Vocabulary lists containing ornament
"Macbeth": Act 1 Scene 7
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for November 26–December 2, 2022
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Unit 4, Whole-Class Learning
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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:
A rare marble sculpture could fetch up to £18,000 at auction after it spent more than seven decades sitting outside, mistaken for a garden ornament.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
A hefty Moche nose ornament of gold and silver would have been quite the weight to carry from one’s septum, especially with the intricately intertwined creatures that wrap around its edge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
On the fourth anniversary of her son's death, on Wednesday, she plans to place an new ornament in his memorial garden at her home, where she likes to sit and chat with him.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Buried under the capital’s broad avenues, however, are a series of public spaces eschewing classical ornament yet achieving something rarer—a monumental and timeless civic dignity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
He raised his hand and made a motion toward me which was the shape of the ornament he wore.
From "Island of the Blue Dolphins" by Scott O'Dell
The US could reduce tariffs on 77 categories of Chinese goods including fireworks, Christmas ornaments, household goods and sports equipment.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
Saleh sometimes leads painting workshops where participants can decorate items like ornaments and lampshades.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Mostly cheap, guilty pleasures, from coasters to Christmas ornaments to, yes, shelves of Starbucks mugs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
The Dancing Girl sculpture, which was discovered at Mohenjo-daro - one of the largest settlements of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation - depicts a girl adorned with ornaments with her hair tied in a bun.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
The lack of boughs made it difficult to hang the ornaments evenly, so the kids had to hang ten or more ornaments per branch.
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
The clock demurs, making a long, ornamented speech about how the other clocks would think him “too grand” if he became Prof. Ticky.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
The title track opens the bilingual album, launching with RM repeating the album’s title over and over again in a deep, almost militaristic cadence — before exploding into asymmetrical production ornamented by his gothic baritone.
From Seattle Times ● May 24, 2024
The credit as L.A.’s first known muralist goes to Einar Petersen, who ornamented mostly inside walls with historic, storytelling murals ordered up and paid for.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2024
Then it’s ornamented by a red and silver copter.
From New York Times ● Aug. 21, 2023
The main thing, though, was that tooled-leather Western saddle he toted, which like I said was ornamented with silver.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
In early cultures, beauty was magic, ornamenting the body as a way “to invoke ‘otherworldly’ powers,” as the British anthropologist Camilla Power has written.
From New York Times ● May 10, 2021
When ornamenting the glass after the beverage is assembled, Thomas wrote, “It is necessary to display some taste.”
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 2, 2016
I wandered in behind a truck spraying water to suppress the dust and soon encountered Jim Holbrook, 65, who was ornamenting his English bulldog with sunglasses and a tiara of devil’s horns.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 30, 2015
Borders can be used in other unexpected ways, too, from edging flat picture frames and ornamenting mats to trimming stair treads and pelmets.
From Architectural Digest ● Aug. 8, 2014
Otto reproduced a number of the tattoos ornamenting the subject’s overmuscled chest, arms, and small and calloused but girlish hands.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
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