embellish

Verb
US[im-bel-ish]/ɪmˈbɛlɪʃ/3 syllables
Synonyms: embroiderpadlardaggrandizeaggrandiseblow updramatizedramatisedeckadorndecorategrace

Open English WordNet

Verb (4)embellished, embellishing

  1. add details toSynonyms: embroiderpadlardaggrandizeaggrandiseblow updramatizedramatiseMore general overstate, exaggerateMore specific glorify
  2. be beautiful to look at“Flowers adorned the tables everywhere”Synonyms: deckadorndecorategracebeautifyMore general exist, beMore specific ornament
  3. make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.“Decorate the room for the party”“beautify yourself for the special day”Synonyms: decorateadorngraceornamentbeautifyMore general change, alterMore specific illustrate, embroider, gild, panel, garland, trim, redecorate, enamel, inlay, applique +33 moreSimilar ornament
  4. make more beautifulSynonyms: fancifybeautifyprettifyMore general better, improveMore specific polish, dress up, dress, become, groom, spruce up

Related words grace noun

Word of the day · Oct 11About this word
expediteverb

What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz

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Webster's Dictionary (1913)

Em·bel′lish transitive verb [past tense & past participle Embellished; present participle & verbal noun Embellishing.]

Origin: OE. embelisen, embelisshen, F. embellir; pref. em- (L. in) + bel, beau, beautiful. See Beauty.

To make beautiful or elegant by ornaments; to decorate; to adorn; as, to embellish a book with pictures, a garden with shrubs and flowers, a narrative with striking anecdotes, or style with metaphors.

Synonyms: To adorn; beautify; deck; bedeck; decorate; garnish; enrich; ornament; illustrate. See Adorn.

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54

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