embellishment

noun

em·​bel·​lish·​ment im-ˈbe-lish-mənt 

1

: the act or process of embellishing

2

: something serving to embellish

3

: ornament sense 5

Synonyms

• adornment
• beautifier
• caparison
• decoration
• doodad
• embellisher
• frill
• garnish
• garnishment
• garniture
• ornament
• ornamentation
• setoff
• trim

Examples of embellishment in a Sentence

a colorful mobile is just the embellishment that the soon-to-be nursery needs

the actor's penchant for embellishment suggests that his memoirs would be more appropriately shelved in the fiction section

Recent Examples on the Web

Celebrity nail artist Thuy Nguyen, who counts Olivia Rodrigo and Lana Condor as clients, uses a deep mustard gold for a full-coverage nail look that doesn’t need any embellishments to shine. —Audrey Noble, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2024

Grant wore a classic black dress with sparkly silver embellishments that complemented her silver hair. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024

The holidays are synonymous with cozy sweaters of all kinds — and celebs like Martha Stewart, Mindy Kaling, and Reese Witherspoon are inspiring us to try cardigans with beautiful embellishments this season. —​​taylor Jean Stephan, People.com, 17 Dec. 2024

For the Kennedy Center Honors on Dec. 8, the first lady wore a shimmering white dress with dazzling, delicate embellishments on the cuffs of her sleeves and the collar of the dress. —Julia Teti, WWD, 16 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1