Synonym Chooser

How is the word decorate different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of decorate are adorn, beautify, deck, embellish, garnish, and ornament. While all these words mean "to enhance the appearance of something by adding something unessential," decorate suggests relieving plainness or monotony by adding beauty of color or design.

decorate a birthday cake

When might adorn be a better fit than decorate?

The synonyms adorn and decorate are sometimes interchangeable, but adorn implies an enhancing by something beautiful in itself.

a diamond necklace adorned her neck

How are the words beautify and embellish related as synonyms of decorate?

Beautify adds to embellish a suggestion of counterbalancing plainness or ugliness.

will beautify the grounds with flower beds

When can deck be used instead of decorate?

Although the words deck and decorate have much in common, deck implies the addition of something that contributes to gaiety, splendor, or showiness.

a house all decked out for Christmas

When would embellish be a good substitute for decorate?

The words embellish and decorate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, embellish often stresses the adding of superfluous or adventitious ornament.

embellish a page with floral borders

Where would garnish be a reasonable alternative to decorate?

While in some cases nearly identical to decorate, garnish suggests decorating with a small final touch and is used especially in referring to the serving of food.

an entrée garnished with parsley

How do ornament and embellish relate to one another, in the sense of decorate?

Both ornament and embellish imply the adding of something extraneous, ornament stressing the heightening or setting off of the original.

a white house ornamented with green shutters

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of decorate The thermal baths are also connected to a banquet room decorated with elaborate frescoes that was announced last spring. Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Jan. 2025 The 1986 march — 27 blocks from Texas Wesleyan College to Community Christian Church on East Vickery Boulevard — was led by a Mercedes-Benz decorated with streamers and a truck full of children. Matt Leclercq, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Jan. 2025 The condo owes its colorful palette and bright furnishings to designer Carlton Varney of Dorothy Draper, who decorated the space with funky palm leaf print wall paper and a palm leaf accent chair to match. Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 16 Jan. 2025 Every estate has been meticulously restored, decorated and furnished with a unique style and many of the artworks displayed in the homes have been specially commissioned. Joanne Shurvell, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for decorate 

Thesaurus Entries Near decorate

Cite this Entry

“Decorate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decorate. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on decorate

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