adorn
verb
transitive verb
Synonyms
- array
- beautify
- bedeck
- bedizen
- blazon
- caparison
- deck
- decorate
- do
- do up
- doll up
- drape
- dress
- embellish
- emblaze
- emboss
- enrich
- fancify
- fancy up
- festoon
- garnish
- glitz (up)
- grace
- gussy up
- ornament
- pretty (up)
- trim
Example Sentences
Noah Davis, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Aug. 2022 Meanwhile bucolic scenes adorn bakeries, stables, barns and hotels, including the historic Hotel Wolf and tavern Zum Turm. Silvia Marchetti, CNN, 11 Aug. 2022 Jackets in the new collection had a bell shape that hovered over mini skits; straight coats had built-in capes, worn over short flouncy skirts; flat bows adorn shift dresses on the straps or across the front. Colleen Barry, ajc, 26 Feb. 2022 The cabinets were painted vibrant blue, and antique Portuguese plates adorn the walls. Sofia Quintero, ELLE Decor, 3 Aug. 2022 Artworks often adorn our walls and sit on our mantels and shelves. Jamie Gold, Forbes, 17 May 2022 Championship banners for such winners as Evil Geniuses and powerhouse Team SoloMid adorn the walls. Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2022 Nostalgic murals and artwork adorn the walls of the space. Anne Nickoloff, cleveland, 9 Mar. 2022 Billboards of Gu posing for brands adorn the walls of supermarkets, elevators, subway stations and airports. Rachel Bachman, WSJ, 13 Feb. 2022 See More Word History
Middle English aournen, adournen, borrowed from Anglo-French aurner, adourner (with d restored from Latin), going back to Latin adōrnāre "to get ready, prepare, decorate, embellish," from ad- ad- + ōrnāre "to prepare, equip, embellish" — more at ornate
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
adorn
verb
adorn
verb
Synonyms & Similar Words
- decorate
- drape
- beautify
- embellish
- festoon
- ornament
- trim
- enrich
- bedeck
- dress
- grace
- paint
- garnish
- deck
- array
- caparison
- emboss
- blazon
- do
- doll up
- fancify
- bedizen
- accessorize
- brighten
- emblaze
- embroider
- fancy up
- gussy up
- freshen
- glitz (up)
- pretty (up)
- do up
- garland
- hang
- trap
- smarten
- gild
- chase
- ribbon
- filigree
- wreathe
- dress up
- figure
- frill
- fillet
- jewel
- braid
- swag
- appliqué
- fringe
- lace
- feather
- boss
- diamond
- pearl
- flounce
- gem
- redecorate
- trick (out)
- furbelow
- redo
- spruce (up)
- impearl
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- disfigure
- deface
- display
- spoil
- mar
- reveal
- simplify
- scar
- streamline
- expose
- bare
- dismantle
- uncover
- strip
- denude
- blemish
- divest
- uglify
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of adorn are beautify, deck, decorate, embellish, garnish, and ornament. While all these words mean "to enhance the appearance of something by adding something unessential," adorn implies an enhancing by something beautiful in itself.
Beautify adds to embellish a suggestion of counterbalancing plainness or ugliness.
The synonyms deck and adorn are sometimes interchangeable, but deck implies the addition of something that contributes to gaiety, splendor, or showiness.
Although the words decorate and adorn have much in common, decorate suggests relieving plainness or monotony by adding beauty of color or design.
The words embellish and adorn are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, embellish often stresses the adding of superfluous or adventitious ornament.
While in some cases nearly identical to adorn, garnish suggests decorating with a small final touch and is used especially in referring to the serving of food.
Both ornament and embellish imply the adding of something extraneous, ornament stressing the heightening or setting off of the original.
- invidiously
- invidiousness
- invidiousnesses
- invigilancy
- invigilate
- invigilated
- invigilates
- invigilating
- invigilation
- invigilations
- invigilator
- invigilators
- invigor
- invigorants
- invigorate
- invigorated
- invigorates
- invigorating
- invigoratingly
- invigoration
- invigorations
- invigorator
- invigorators
- invigour
- invinate