ornament

1 of 2

noun

or·​na·​ment ˈȯr-nə-mənt How to pronounce ornament (audio)
plural ornaments
1
archaic : a useful accessory
2
a
: something that lends grace, beauty, or festivity
holiday ornaments
b
: a manner or quality that adorns
3
: one whose virtues or graces add luster to a place or society
4
: the act of adorning or being adorned
5
: an embellishing note not belonging to the essential harmony or melody

called also embellishment, fioritura

ornament

2 of 2

verb

or·​na·​ment ˈȯr-nə-ˌment How to pronounce ornament (audio)
ornamented; ornamenting; ornaments

transitive verb

: to provide with ornament : embellish
Choose the Right Synonym for ornament

adorn, decorate, ornament, embellish, beautify, deck, garnish 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

decorate suggests relieving plainness or monotony by adding beauty of color or design.

decorate a birthday cake

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

, embellish often stressing the adding of superfluous or adventitious ornament.

embellish a page with floral borders

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

will beautify the grounds with flower beds

deck implies the addition of something that contributes to gaiety, splendor, or showiness.

a house all decked out for Christmas

garnish suggests decorating with a small final touch and is used especially in referring to the serving of food.

an entrée garnished with parsley

Examples of ornament in a Sentence

Noun She wore a hair ornament. The columns are there purely as ornament—they have no structural function. Verb flower patterns used to ornament boxes delicate crystal figurines ornament the mantel over the fireplace
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
In a paper published Feb. 5 in Scientific Reports, study authors detail the sighting of this personal ornament dating back 12,940 years. Julia Daye, Sacramento Bee, 13 Feb. 2024 Today there is a reflexive tendency to think of literature, and also other forms of culture, as an extra, as an ornament, as icing on the cake, as something that is expendable and unnecessary. Merve Emre, The New York Review of Books, 13 Feb. 2024 Among their finds were plates, tripods, decorative ornaments — and a collection of swords. Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 7 Feb. 2024 Soon after, the other three—the gold stool ornaments and gold necklace—were taken as part of a payment connected to the Treaty of Fomena, which required the Asante kingdom to pay the British 50,000 ounces of gold. Catherine Duncan, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Feb. 2024 There’s even an ornament to mark the Houston Astros’ World Series victory. Dusty Parnell, Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024 But one of the study’s main findings was that distance and isolation only accounted for a surprisingly small difference between the ornaments that the various groups wore in necklaces, bracelets and other trinkets, Baker says. Sarah Wild, Scientific American, 29 Jan. 2024 It’s filled with canine art and ornaments, some of them for sale. Richard Guzman, Orange County Register, 16 Jan. 2024 This is the first time that a president has been alive for the unveiling of their ornament. Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 22 Feb. 2024
Verb
Several families are also taking it up a notch — ornamenting their houses with interactive set-ups, snow machines and hot chocolate stands. Hanh Truong, Sacramento Bee, 30 Jan. 2024 She also was known for selling Inge Glas ornaments from Germany at the shop. Cathy Kozlowicz, Journal Sentinel, 18 Jan. 2024 This beautiful image shows our magnetically hyperactive sun, ornamented with bright solar flares, arcs, and plasma streamers. Discover Magazine, 20 Oct. 2010 The all-white structures combine modernist and medieval, minimalist and ornamented. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2024 On Thursday, the Grammy-winning singer, 30, shared a carousel of photos to Instagram, including one snap that showed a Spam can ornament hanging on a wall Christmas tree made of green garland. Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 22 Dec. 2023 Each of the hotel’s 24 suites is ornamented with tile mosaics and Afghan and Tibetan artifacts. Alexandra Malmed, Vogue, 8 Nov. 2023 The firm incorporated beautiful moldings and cornices, coffered ceilings, custom furniture, textured wallpaper, and light fixtures ornamented with glass pendants that add a delicate touch. Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 12 Oct. 2023 With this simple gift-box ornaments Christmas tree theme, there are plenty of presents to go around. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Oct. 2023

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French urnement, ornement, from Latin ornamentum, from ornare

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1650, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ornament was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near ornament

Cite this Entry

“Ornament.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ornament. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ornament

1 of 2 noun
or·​na·​ment ˈȯr-nə-mənt How to pronounce ornament (audio)
1
: something that adds beauty : decoration
2
: addition of something that beautifies
a satin bow applied for ornament

ornament

2 of 2 verb
or·​na·​ment ˈȯr-nə-ˌment How to pronounce ornament (audio)
: to provide with ornament : adorn
ornamentation
ˌȯr-nə-mən-ˈtā-shən
-ˌmen-
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on ornament

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