ADORN Synonyms: 81 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'adorn' different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of adorn are beautify , deck , decorate , embellish , garnish , and ornament . While all these words mean "to enhance the appearance of something by adding something unessential," adorn implies an enhancing by something beautiful in itself. // a diamond necklace adorned her neck

Q: How do 'beautify' and 'embellish' relate to one another, in the sense of 'adorn'?

Beautify adds to embellish a suggestion of counterbalancing plainness or ugliness. // will beautify the grounds with flower beds

Q: In what contexts can 'deck' take the place of 'adorn'?

The synonyms deck and adorn are sometimes interchangeable, but deck implies the addition of something that contributes to gaiety, splendor, or showiness. // a house all decked out for Christmas

Q: When is 'decorate' a more appropriate choice than 'adorn'?

Although the words decorate and adorn have much in common, decorate suggests relieving plainness or monotony by adding beauty of color or design. // decorate a birthday cake

Q: Where would 'embellish' be a reasonable alternative to 'adorn'?

The words embellish and adorn are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, embellish often stresses the adding of superfluous or adventitious ornament. // embellish a page with floral borders

Q: When is it sensible to use 'garnish' instead of 'adorn'?

While in some cases nearly identical to adorn , garnish suggests decorating with a small final touch and is used especially in referring to the serving of food. // an entrée garnished with parsley

Q: How are the words 'ornament' and 'embellish' related as synonyms of 'adorn'?

Both ornament and embellish imply the adding of something extraneous, ornament stressing the heightening or setting off of the original. // a white house ornamented with green shutters

adorn

verb

ə-ˈdȯrn

Definition of adorn next

as in to decorate

to make more attractive by adding something that is beautiful or becoming the Sultan's tent was richly adorned with thick tapestries and gleaming gold candlesticks

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How is the word adorn different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of adorn are beautify, deck, decorate, embellish, garnish, and ornament. While all these words mean "to enhance the appearance of something by adding something unessential," adorn implies an enhancing by something beautiful in itself.

a diamond necklace adorned her neck

How do beautify and embellish relate to one another, in the sense of adorn?

Beautify adds to embellish a suggestion of counterbalancing plainness or ugliness.

will beautify the grounds with flower beds

In what contexts can deck take the place of adorn?

The synonyms deck and adorn are sometimes interchangeable, but deck implies the addition of something that contributes to gaiety, splendor, or showiness.

a house all decked out for Christmas

When is decorate a more appropriate choice than adorn?

Although the words decorate and adorn have much in common, decorate suggests relieving plainness or monotony by adding beauty of color or design.

decorate a birthday cake

Where would embellish be a reasonable alternative to adorn?

The words embellish and adorn are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, embellish often stresses the adding of superfluous or adventitious ornament.

embellish a page with floral borders

When is it sensible to use garnish instead of adorn?

While in some cases nearly identical to adorn, garnish suggests decorating with a small final touch and is used especially in referring to the serving of food.

an entrée garnished with parsley

How are the words ornament and embellish related as synonyms of adorn?

Both ornament and embellish imply the adding of something extraneous, ornament stressing the heightening or setting off of the original.

a white house ornamented with green shutters

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of adorn So far, he’s been spotted draped in a full-length, white fluffy coat and fire engine-red hat and gloves, watching the women’s downhill race, and casually chatting with onlookers at the curling mixed doubles, adorned in a zip-jacket emblazoned with Team USA players’ faces. —

Sheena McKenzie, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026 If the plan is to adorn the tank with hiding places or other interactive pieces, steer clear of sharp or rigid objects. —

Sierra Leone Starks, Parents, 10 Feb. 2026 The amber bauble, worth a staggering $87,000, is also adorned with marquise-cut diamonds and features an 18kt gold and platinum setting. —

Hannah Malach, InStyle, 10 Feb. 2026 The next, you’re cocooned in an all-electric Rolls-Royce, an immaculate tour de force of silence and bleeding-edge tech, adorned by the Spirit of Ecstasy. —

Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 10 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for adorn

Recent Examples of Synonyms for adorn

decorate

Verb

In a miniature muffin pan, dollop a tablespoon of batter into each cup and decorate with your topping of choice.

— Cody Godwin, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
Even the bathrooms evoke memories of home, one decorated like his grandma’s house, and the other evoking a tropical rainforest with the sounds of birds and frogs indigenous to the island.

— Andrea Strong, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 Feb. 2026

Definition of decorate

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adoring

adorn

adorned

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“Adorn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adorn. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

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Last Updated: 15 Feb 2026 - Updated example sentences

Synonyms of adorn

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