ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsEembellish
ISEE/SSAThard
embellish
Meaning: to make more attractive by adding details, sometimes exaggerated ones
embellish in a sentence
How embellish is used in real sentences:
The sailor loved to embellish his stories with tales of giant storms and sea monsters.
The reporter was fired for embellishing details to make the article more exciting.
“Likewise, adding velvet curtains to embellish a modest studio might make the scene more attractive, yet the enhancement risks duplicity if it deliberately presents poverty as luxury.”
— from the passage The Speaking Ground
Synonyms for embellish
Other words for embellish — adorn, embroider and exaggerate — carry the same meaning.
- adorn
- embroider
- exaggerate
Antonyms of embellish
Words that mean the opposite of embellish:
- simplify
- strip down
Where it comes from
From Old French embellir 'to make beautiful'
Memory hook
EMBELLISH sounds like BELL — decorators add jingling BELLS to dress something up.