Meanings
plural embellishments
- countableuncountableAn act of embellishing.
- countableuncountableAn added touch; an ornamental addition; a flourish.
From this point of view all philosophy is idealism, an imaginative embellishment of scientific knowledge; and, sure enough, Engels prophesies the decline and extinction of philosophy.
1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume I: The Founders, Oxford: Clarendon Press, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: powstanie (in Polish), →ISBN, →OCLC, page 3791 more example
Reflection had given calmness to her judgment, and sobered her own opinion of Willoughby's deserts; — she wished, therefore, to declare only the simple truth, and lay open such facts as were really due to his character, without any embellishment of tenderness to lead the fancy astray.
1811, Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility, Section 3, Chapter 1Synonyms: adornment, decoration, ornament, garniture, garnish, garnishment, ornamentation
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn added touch; an ornamental addition; a flourish.
More synonyms by meaning
nounelaboration of an interpretation by the use of decorative (sometimes fictitious) detail
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Catalan embelliment
- embellimentornamental addition
Czech dekorace, výzdoba
- dekoraceornamental addition
- výzdobaornamental addition
German Ausschmückung, Beschönigung
- Ausschmückungornamental addition
- Beschönigungornamental addition
- Fioriturornamental addition
- Gerankornamental addition
- Rankenwerkornamental addition
- Verschönerungornamental addition
- Verzierungornamental addition
- Zierornamental addition
- Zierratornamental addition
- Zierrillenornamental addition
- schmückendes Beiwortornamental addition
Māori whakarākeitanga, kīnakinakitanga
- whakarākeitangaornamental addition
- kīnakinakitangaornamental addition
Norwegian Bokmål utbrodering, forskjønnelse
- utbroderingornamental addition
- forskjønnelseornamental addition
Portuguese embelezamento
- embelezamentoornamental addition
Russian украшение, декорация
- украшение (ukrašenije)ornamental addition
- декорация (dekoracija)ornamental addition
Spanish embellecimiento
- embellecimientoornamental addition
Cite this entry
embellishment. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/embellishment
“embellishment.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/embellishment. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “embellishment,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/embellishment.
Source: embellishment on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.