Decorate
What it means
Add chosen details that make a place or object more attractive or celebratory.
Reach for it when describing intentional visual improvement through added elements
Families gathered to decorate the square with woven stars.
Words to choose between 6
| playful | |
|---|---|
| everyday |
|
| warm | |
| professional | |
| formal | |
| literary |
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playful
Fits when abundant hanging decorations create celebration
Careful Sparse or restrained styling should not be described with this lavish verb.
-
warm
Fits when improvement in beauty is the result worth stressing
Careful Beautify says little about the method and can include cleaning or landscaping rather than decoration.
-
professional
Fits when the additions are specifically decorative rather than functional
Careful The technical tone is stiff for a family making a room festive.
-
professional
personalize
Fits when additions express the owner's identity or needs
Careful A neutral public display can be decorated without becoming personal.
-
formal
embellish
Fits when extra detail enriches a surface or design
Careful Embellish can also imply adding untrue details to a story, creating the wrong suspicion.
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literary
Fits when an elegant addition enhances an already valued object
Careful Adorn is elevated and can sound excessive for casual craft activity.
Opposites 3
- strip
- bare
- deface
Common phrases 3
-
decorate a room
They will decorate a room with paper leaves and amber lights.
-
decorate for a celebration
Shopkeepers decorate for a celebration held after the harvest.
-
decorate with flowers
Volunteers decorate with flowers grown in the school garden.
Word family 1
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated