or·na·men·tal
ˌȯr-nə-ˈmen-tᵊl 
: of, relating to, or serving as ornament
specifically
: grown as an ornamental
: a decorative object
especially
: a plant cultivated for its beauty rather than for use
Synonyms
Examples of ornamental in a Sentence
Adjective
The garden has many ornamental shrubs.
the trim on Victorian houses is sometimes elaborately ornamental
Noun
The garden has many beautiful ornamentals.
a collection of fragile ornamentals kept in a glass cabinet
Recent Examples on the Web
Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 18 Jan. 2025
An area under the shade of an ornamental tree in summer may still be in partial to full sun during early spring, which is sufficient for snowdrops.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Jan. 2025
Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Jan. 2025
Other foxtail plants were not in the photo but nearby ornamentals appeared to be suffering from excessive water too.
—Tom MacCubbin, Orlando Sentinel, 23 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ornamental 
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.
Adjective
For detailed advice on pruning techniques and on when to prune each species of common ornamental shrubs, see mortonarb.org/pruning-deciduous-shrubs.
—Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 18 Jan. 2025
An area under the shade of an ornamental tree in summer may still be in partial to full sun during early spring, which is sufficient for snowdrops.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Jan. 2025
Noun
These vertically growing junipers are used as privacy screens and backdrops for other ornamentals.
—Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Jan. 2025
Other foxtail plants were not in the photo but nearby ornamentals appeared to be suffering from excessive water too.
—Tom MacCubbin, Orlando Sentinel, 23 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ornamental
Dictionary Entries Near ornamental
Cite this Entry
“Ornamental.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ornamental. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ornamental
1 of 2 adjective
or·na·men·tal
ˌȯr-nə-ˈment-ᵊl
: of, relating to, or serving as ornament
ornamental
2 of 2 noun
: a decorative object
especially
: a plant cultivated for its beauty rather than for use
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share