ornate

adjective

or·​nate ȯr-ˈnāt 

1

: marked by elaborate rhetoric (see rhetoric sense 2b) or florid (see florid sense 1a) style

is clear and simple rather than ornate and pompous

—The Times Literary Supplement (London)

2

: elaborately or excessively decorated

an ornate mantle

an ornate townhouse

ornate chandeliers

ornately adverb

ornateness noun

Synonyms

• bedizened
• florid
• fussy
• gingerbread
• gingerbreaded
• gingerbready
• overdecorated
• overwrought

Examples of ornate in a Sentence

She doesn't like ornate jewelry.

an ornate gambling casino that is designed to look like an Italian palace

Recent Examples on the Web

Elsewhere, beauty this week was equal parts femme and freaky: nail art was sculptural, flipped and reversed, hair was piled high to make a poncy French monarch proud, and conceptual makeup took inspo from nature’s most ornate creatures. —Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 1 Feb. 2025

Outside the ornate Georgetown hall where eight candidates lined up for their final forum before the party picks a new leader tomorrow, Washington was lurching from crisis to crisis. —Jess Bidgood, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2025

Faithfull’s high, sly vocals may have more in common with Peggy Seeger’s woodsy original, but the ornate track also contains a poignant, slow-motion soulfulness that made Roberta Flack’s version a hit several years later. —A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 31 Jan. 2025

Antiques mingle with contemporary art, and ornate architecture feels fresh with the addition of modern, shapely furnishings. —Dan Howarth, Architectural Digest, 30 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ornat, from Latin ornatus, past participle of ornare to furnish, embellish; akin to Latin ordo order — more at order

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

ornate

adjective

or·​nate ȯr-ˈnāt 

: decorated in a fancy way

ornately adverb

ornateness noun