embellish


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em·bel·lish

 (ĕm-bĕl′ĭsh)
tr.v. em·bel·lished, em·bel·lish·ing, em·bel·lish·es
1. To make beautiful, as by ornamentation; decorate.
2. To add ornamental or fictitious details to: a fanciful account that embellishes the true story.

[Middle English embelishen, from Old French embellir, embelliss- : en-, causative pref.; see en-1 + bel, beautiful (from Latin bellus; see deu- in Indo-European roots).]

em·bel′lish·er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

embellish

(ɪmˈbɛlɪʃ)
vb (tr)
1. to improve or beautify by adding detail or ornament; adorn
2. to make (a story) more interesting by adding detail
3. (Music, other) to provide (a melody, part, etc) with ornaments. See ornament5
[C14: from Old French embelir, from bel beautiful, from Latin bellus]
emˈbellisher n
emˈbellishment n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

em•bel•lish

(ɛmˈbɛl ɪʃ)

v.t.
1. to beautify by or as if by ornamentation; adorn.
2. to enhance with elaborative additions.
[1300–50; Middle English < Anglo-French, Middle French embeliss-]
em•bel′lish•er, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

embellish


Past participle: embellished
Gerund: embellishing

Imperative
embellish
embellish
Present
I embellish
you embellish
he/she/it embellishes
we embellish
you embellish
they embellish
Preterite
I embellished
you embellished
he/she/it embellished
we embellished
you embellished
they embellished
Present Continuous
I am embellishing
you are embellishing
he/she/it is embellishing
we are embellishing
you are embellishing
they are embellishing
Present Perfect
I have embellished
you have embellished
he/she/it has embellished
we have embellished
you have embellished
they have embellished
Past Continuous
I was embellishing
you were embellishing
he/she/it was embellishing
we were embellishing
you were embellishing
they were embellishing
Past Perfect
I had embellished
you had embellished
he/she/it had embellished
we had embellished
you had embellished
they had embellished
Future
I will embellish
you will embellish
he/she/it will embellish
we will embellish
you will embellish
they will embellish
Future Perfect
I will have embellished
you will have embellished
he/she/it will have embellished
we will have embellished
you will have embellished
they will have embellished
Future Continuous
I will be embellishing
you will be embellishing
he/she/it will be embellishing
we will be embellishing
you will be embellishing
they will be embellishing
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been embellishing
you have been embellishing
he/she/it has been embellishing
we have been embellishing
you have been embellishing
they have been embellishing
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been embellishing
you will have been embellishing
he/she/it will have been embellishing
we will have been embellishing
you will have been embellishing
they will have been embellishing
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been embellishing
you had been embellishing
he/she/it had been embellishing
we had been embellishing
you had been embellishing
they had been embellishing
Conditional
I would embellish
you would embellish
he/she/it would embellish
we would embellish
you would embellish
they would embellish
Past Conditional
I would have embellished
you would have embellished
he/she/it would have embellished
we would have embellished
you would have embellished
they would have embellished
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Verb1.embellish - add details to
glorify - cause to seem more splendid; "You are glorifying a rather mediocre building"
exaggerate, hyperbolise, hyperbolize, overstate, amplify, magnify, overdraw - to enlarge beyond bounds or the truth; "tended to romanticize and exaggerate this `gracious Old South' imagery"
2.embellish - be beautiful to look atembellish - be beautiful to look at; "Flowers adorned the tables everywhere"
be - have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer"
ornament - be an ornament to; "stars ornamented the Christmas tree"
3.embellish - make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.embellish - make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.; "Decorate the room for the party"; "beautify yourself for the special day"
alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue"
wreathe - decorate or deck with wreaths; "wreathe the grave site"
incrust, encrust, beset - decorate or cover lavishly (as with gems)
braid - decorate with braids or ribbons; "braid a collar"
broider, embroider - decorate with needlework
stick - cover and decorate with objects that pierce the surface; "stick some feathers in the turkey before you serve it"
illustrate - supply with illustrations; "illustrate a book with drawings"
garland - adorn with bands of flowers or leaves; "They garlanded the statue"
fledge, flight - decorate with feathers; "fledge an arrow"
bespangle, spangle - decorate with spangles; "the star-spangled banner"
foliate - decorate with leaves
flag - decorate with flags; "the building was flagged for the holiday"
bard, barde, caparison, dress up - put a caparison on; "caparison the horses for the festive occasion"
bead - decorate by sewing beads onto; "bead the wedding gown"
pipe - trim with piping; "pipe the skirt"
applique - sew on as a decoration
gild the lily, paint the lily - adorn unnecessarily (something that is already beautiful)
vermiculate - decorate with wavy or winding lines
smock - embellish by sewing in straight lines crossing each other diagonally; "The folk dancers wore smocked shirts"
hang - decorate or furnish with something suspended; "Hang wallpaper"
prank - dress or decorate showily or gaudily; "Roses were pranking the lawn"
tinsel - adorn with tinsel; "snow flakes tinseled the trees"
tart up - decorate in a cheap and flashy way; "the small-town bar was all tarted up"
stucco - decorate with stucco work; "stuccoed ceilings"
redecorate - redo the decoration of an apartment or house
panel - decorate with panels; "panel the walls with wood"
bejewel, jewel - adorn or decorate with precious stones; "jeweled dresses"
filet, fillet - decorate with a lace of geometric designs
scallop - decorate an edge with scallops; "the dress had a scalloped skirt"
bedizen - decorate tastelessly
dress ship - decorate a ship with flags
garnish, trim, dress - decorate (food), as with parsley or other ornamental foods
trim - decorate, as with ornaments; "trim the christmas tree"; "trim a shop window"
bedeck, bedight, deck - decorate; "deck the halls with holly"
festoon - decorate with strings of flowers; "The public buildings were festooned for the holiday"
enamel - coat, inlay, or surface with enamel
inlay - decorate the surface of by inserting wood, stone, and metal
lacquer - coat with lacquer; "A lacquered box from China"
begild, engild, gild - decorate with, or as if with, gold leaf or liquid gold
illuminate - add embellishments and paintings to (medieval manuscripts)
blazon, emblazon - decorate with heraldic arms
emblazon, colour, color - decorate with colors; "color the walls with paint in warm tones"
fringe - adorn with a fringe; "The weaver fringed the scarf"
fret - decorate with an interlaced design
landscape - embellish with plants; "Let's landscape the yard"
ornament - be an ornament to; "stars ornamented the Christmas tree"
4.embellish - make more beautiful
neaten, groom - care for one's external appearance; "He is always well-groomed"
groom, curry, dress - give a neat appearance to; "groom the dogs"; "dress the horses"
ameliorate, improve, meliorate, amend, better - to make better; "The editor improved the manuscript with his changes"
window-dress, dress up - make something appear superficially attractive; "The researcher tried to dress up the uninteresting data"; "Don't try to dress up the unpleasant truth"
slick up, smarten up, spiff up, spruce, spruce up, titivate, tittivate - make neat, smart, or trim; "Spruce up your house for Spring"; "titivate the child"
polish, smooth, smoothen, shine - make (a surface) shine; "shine the silver, please"; "polish my shoes"
become, suit - enhance the appearance of; "Mourning becomes Electra"; "This behavior doesn't suit you!"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

embellish

verb
1. decorate, enhance, adorn, dress, grace, deck, trim, dress up, enrich, garnish, ornament, gild, festoon, bedeck, tart up (slang), beautify The boat was embellished with red and blue carvings.
2. elaborate, colour, exaggerate, dress up, embroider, varnish He embellished the story with invented dialogue and extra details.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

embellish

verb
1. To furnish with decorations:
2. To endow with beauty and elegance by way of a notable addition:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يُزَيِّن، يُزَخْرِفيُنَمِّق، يَزيد التّفاصيل للإثارَه
brodere påforskønneudsmykke
kaunistella
díszítkiszínezszépít
skreytaskreyta, ÿkja
pagražinimaspagražintipapuošimas
izgreznotizpušķotizrotāt
prikrášliť
ilginçleştirmeksüslemeksüsleyip püslemek

embellish

[ɪmˈbelɪʃ] VT (= decorate) → embellecer (with con) (fig) [+ story, truth] → adornar (with con)
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

embellish

[ɪmˈbɛlɪʃ] vt
(= exaggerate) [+ story, account] → enjoliver
(= decorate) → décorer, enjoliver
to be embellished with → être décoré(e) de
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

embellish

vt (= adorn)schmücken, verschönern; (fig) tale, accountausschmücken; truthbeschönigen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

embellish

[ɪmˈbɛlɪʃ] vt to embellish (with) (decorate) → abbellire (con) (fig) (story, truth) → infiorettare (con)
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

embellish

(imˈbeliʃ) verb
1. to increase the interest of (a story etc) by adding (untrue) details. The soldier embellished the story of his escape.
2. to make beautiful with ornaments etc. uniform embellished with gold braid.
emˈbellishment noun
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
References in classic literature ?
All comprehension is creation; the woman I love is somewhat of my handiwork; and the great lover, like the great painter, is he that can so embellish his subject as to make her more than human, whilst yet by a cunning art he has so based his apotheosis on the nature of the case that the woman can go on being a true woman, and give her character free play, and show littleness, or cherish spite, or be greedy of common pleasures, and he continue to worship without a thought of incongruity.
The young girl is lovely and her tears only embellish her; the lady appears to be about forty years of age, the girl about fourteen.
Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not of narrative; through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions.
Consider also the devilish brilliance and beauty of many of its most remorseless tribes, as the dainty embellished shape of many species of sharks.
One old Sag-Harbor whaleman's chief reason for questioning the Hebrew story was this: --He had one of those quaint old-fashioned Bibles, embellished with curious, unscientific plates; one of which represented Jonah's whale with two spouts in his head --a peculiarity only true with respect to a species of the Leviathan (the Right Whale, and the varieties of that order), concerning which the fishermen have this saying, A penny roll would choke him; his swallow is so very small.
Out of this lake, which filled the center of a beautiful plain, embellished with groups of beeches and elms, and fed with sheep, issued a river, that for several miles was seen to meander through an amazing variety of meadows and woods till it emptied itself into the sea, with a large arm of which, and an island beyond it, the prospect was closed.
The bright blue eyes regarded the spectator with a kind of lurking drollery - you almost expected to see them wink; the lips - a little too voluptuously full - seemed ready to break into a smile; the warmly-tinted cheeks were embellished with a luxuriant growth of reddish whiskers; while the bright chestnut hair, clustering in abundant, wavy curls, trespassed too much upon the forehead, and seemed to intimate that the owner thereof was prouder of his beauty than his intellect - as, perhaps, he had reason to be; and yet he looked no fool.
Jerry Cruncher's name, therefore, duly embellished the doorpost down below; and, as the afternoon shadows deepened, the owner of that name himself appeared, from overlooking a painter whom Doctor Manette had employed to add to the list the name of Charles Evremonde, called Darnay.
She was habited in a gaudy tissue of scarlet cloth, trimmed with yellow silk, which, descending a little below the knees, exposed to view her bare legs, embellished with spiral tattooing, and somewhat resembling two miniature Trajan's columns.
As for the other kind of fountain, which we may call a bathing pool, it may admit much curiosity and beauty; wherewith we will not trouble ourselves: as, that the bottom be finely paved, and with images; the sides likewise; and withal embellished with colored glass, and such things of lustre; encompassed also with fine rails of low statuas.
We loitered through the grand aisles for an hour or two, staring up at the rich stained-glass windows embellished with blue and yellow and crimson saints and martyrs, and trying to admire the numberless great pictures in the chapels, and then we were admitted to the sacristy and shown the magnificent robes which the Pope wore when he crowned Napoleon I; a wagon-load of solid gold and silver utensils used in the great public processions and ceremonies of the church; some nails of the true cross, a fragment of the cross itself, a part of the crown of thorns.
Some underbrush, which, farther on, became forests, embellished the horizon.