embellishment

noun

em·​bel·​lish·​ment im-ˈbe-lish-mənt How to pronounce embellishment (audio)
Synonyms of embellishmentnext
1
: the act or process of embellishing
2
: something serving to embellish
3
: ornament sense 5

Synonyms of embellishment

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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
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.
The smoothness of Knock Knock echoes through the rolling mid-tempo grooves of Stiltz’s unshowy arrangements, featuring drifting pedal steel from Theo Stocks and tasteful embellishments from Ana Roxanne on piano and vocals. — Harry Thorfinn-George, Pitchfork, 22 Oct. 2026 Leather-like surfaces co-mingle with floral and botanical prints, embellishments and embroidery. — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026 Maximalism made its comeback, as embellishments, graphic tees and structured bras dominated many of the buzziest offerings, pushing past seasons’ minimalist tilt to the wayside. — Madeleine Schulz, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2026 Her character is seen wearing a black velvet hood with giant rhinestone scorpion embellishments on the front. — Juliana Ukiomogbe, InStyle, 9 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for embellishment

Word History

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of embellishment was in 1591

Browse Nearby Words

embellisher
embellishment
ember
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Embellishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/embellishment. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All