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

Fittingly, the ornate theme carries throughout the entire hotel. —Katie Chang, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025

The Grand Marshall of the parade, standing with family and friends, pours green dye into the iconic Forsyth Park Fountain, enough to cause the fountain’s ornate ironwork to project bright green water for days. —Jessica Farthing, Southern Living, 10 Mar. 2025

The ornate, over-the-top nature of the piece, contrasted with the comical brevity of its time onscreen, works in tandem to launch it to the middle of the pack. 34. —Kinsey Jasnoch, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2025

The puppets’ faces were intricately carved and feature visible tongues and ornate tattoos. —Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 6 Mar. 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

Rhymes for ornate

• abate
• airfreight
• await
• baseplate
• berate
• birthdate
• birthrate
• bookplate
• borate
• breastplate
• bromate
• casemate

Kids Definition

ornate

adjective

or·​nate ȯr-ˈnāt 

: decorated in a fancy way

ornately adverb

ornateness noun