Meanings
plural ornatenesses
- countableuncountableThe state of being ornate.
From the prevailing colonial perspective, the English of the babus was error-ridden and characterised by over-elaborate ornateness, and for these ‘transgressions’ it became the butt of native-speaker ridicule.
2014, James Lambert, “Diachronic stability in Indian English lexis”, in World Englishes, page 116
Synonyms & antonyms
nounhigh-flown style; excessive use of verbal ornamentation
nounan ornate appearance; being elaborately (even excessively) decorated
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Cite this entry
ornateness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ornateness
“ornateness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ornateness. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ornateness,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ornateness.
Source: ornateness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.