overdecorate

verb

over·​dec·​o·​rate ˌō-vər-ˈde-kə-ˌrāt How to pronounce overdecorate (audio)
overdecorated; overdecorating

transitive + intransitive

: to decorate (something) too elaborately or extensively
The children overdecorated the cake.
overdecorated the Christmas tree with ornaments and tinsel
"After the years of excess and overdecorating … people are reverting to a more classic and simple way of living."David Easton
overdecorated adjective
… rejected overdecorated Victorian styles in favor of a spare simplicity that featured geometric shapes and unadorned surfaces. Jonathan Raimes and Lakshmi Bhaskaran
The Depression-era set decoration is perfect, and you get to appreciate all of it because Haynes lingers on each stucco bungalow, each deserted seaside road, each overdecorated Beverly Hills manse. Stephen King
overdecoration noun
The simple lines sketched by the architects avoided any effect of massiveness or overdecoration. Paul W. Keating
During the Renaissance and post-Renaissance, when urban development produced an air of luxury and richness, there was an ever-increasing tendency toward overdecoration—to a point where the original form was lost and the function obscured. Henry Dreyfuss

Word History

First Known Use

1865, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of overdecorate was in 1865

Dictionary Entries Near overdecorate

Cite this Entry

“Overdecorate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overdecorate. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

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