How to Use ornate in a Sentence

ornate

adjective
  • She doesn't like ornate jewelry.
  • Its ornate bird wing has been ripped off.
    — Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
  • These feel ornate but not stuffy, floral but not chintzy.
    — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Mix up the types of frames, from gold and ornate to simple and sleek.
    — Sharon Greenthal, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 June 2024
  • The sidewalks were red brick; the street lamps iron and ornate, their light soft.
    — Longreads, 2 Jan. 2020
  • Out front was a strange wrought-iron structure—an ornate crate on a chest-high post.
    — Atul Gawande, The New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2021
  • One of the photos shows three heads hung above an ornate fireplace.
    — Anchorage Daily News, 5 Oct. 2021
  • Now suddenly this is too big, too ornate, too crazy?
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Grab this scalloped tote bag with an ornate design.
    — Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 23 June 2026
  • The actress pulled her hair back in an ornate ponytail, which ran down her back.
    — Julia Teti, WWD, 23 July 2024
  • Kings and queens adorned their palaces with ornate portraits and sculptures.
    — Shannon Carroll, Quartz, 3 Apr. 2025
  • In the top middle drawer, an ornate lock.
    — Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
  • The most ornate baskets take at least a week, and a bassinet can be months in the making.
    — Nafeesah Allen, House Beautiful, 30 Aug. 2021
  • Find anything from a retro leather jacket to a box of ornate buttons.
    — Vogue, 9 Jan. 2023
  • There was an ornate dresser too large for the apartment, and a small sofa.
    — John Beck, Harper’s Magazine , 16 Mar. 2022
  • Browne and Bolton’s taste in décor is a mix of the ornate and the severe.
    — Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2023
  • Bulky or ornate couch styles can make a living room feel outdated.
    — Melissa Epifano, The Spruce, 3 Feb. 2026
  • The paper had yellowed from age and the cursive was so ornate the words were hard to make out.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
  • Adams wore a loose-fitting, long-sleeve black dress with ornate bead work in silver on the skirt and top.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 9 June 2026
  • So go ahead and pair a bed frame with sharp lines and angles with a bench that shows off some ornate wood carving.
    — Tessa Cooper, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 July 2024
  • An ornate wooden mirror, 10 feet high or more, stands at the front of the room.
    — Dodai Stewart, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2022
  • The film has a very specific, ornate visual style.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 18 June 2026
  • Drinkers leave beer cans and wine bottles on the steps of the eternal city’s baroque churches and ornate palazzi.
    — Giovanni Legorano, WSJ, 24 Jan. 2022
  • Each desk has an ornate carving of an inlaid diamond on the front.
    — Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 17 Feb. 2026
  • Here, an ornate stone fireplace anchors the living room.
    — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 7 Jan. 2026
  • An ornate, enormous chocolate cake with white-pearl sprinkles — made from scratch — sits in the fridge.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 24 June 2023
  • But the overall effect is so ornate that movies seem almost beside the point.
    — Maria L. La Ganga, Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024
  • The approach to the stage was piled with ornate memorial wreaths and displays.
    — Michael E. Ruane, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Nov. 2021
  • The ornate vintage designs on the brand’s famed packaging spoke to her, as did the scents.
    — Jessamine Chan, Travel + Leisure, 14 May 2024
  • The princess accessorized the look with a pair of ornate earrings, while wearing her hair in loose curls.
    — Quinci Legardye, Harper's BAZAAR, 10 Dec. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ornate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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