to embellish
19
6.1
- verb
- /ɪmˈbɛlɪʃ/
:
embellecer
- She decided to embellish her dress with some beautiful beads for the party.
- embellish the story
- embellish a melody
- embellish the description
The nation taught itself how to hide its divisions by faking and embellishing neutrality.
- The nation taught itself how to hide its divisions by faking and embellishing neutrality.
- And for my father, embellishing or slight exaggeration was like a death blow.
- There are people who are getting third hand reports and then embellishing them.
- So the fabrication of the story, for many people, they embellish the story and make it seem even worse than what it was.
- I think it was a great vehicle for composers to write with because all you needed was a simple theme in which to embellish on.
- And I've been embellished often, you know, in my sense of righteousness around that.
- What did we do on money coaches, You feel you feel just the what the what they're playing well, a little bit embellishing, but not too much, just a bit.
Examples
-
The nation taught itself how to hide its divisions by faking and embellishing neutrality.
-
God, it's amazing how people embellish these stories.
-
But the thing about writing is you take real life and you embellish it and you prove and you improve upon it.
-
And everything they do, they embellish them and make them seem bigger and more important than they are.
-
I did embellish a little bit; it is fiction.
-
The publisher had my ghost writer embellish some parts, alright?
-
And you take a kernel of truth and then you embellish it, and then it becomes something believable.
-
By the fifth accounting, William was no longer pale, and his story had been embellished with many details.
Fiction book (1998) -
Sometimes I embellish the story and make Beverly look more or less obnoxious, depending on my mood.
Academic text (2007) -
Artists and pamphleteers turn a slightly embellished version of events into a sensational piece of personal PR that captivates France.
Synonyms
424
4.0
Make something better or more attractive
226
1.9
To make something look nicer by adding paint, ornaments, or other items
45
4.9
To put decorations on something to make it look more beautiful
19
6.5
To add extra, unnecessary details to make something seem bigger or better
16
3.8
To add small items like jewelry or scarves to clothes to make them look nicer
16
7.5
Decorate something with a bright, noticeable symbol or design
9
3.2
To make a place or person more attractive by adding decorations like paint
8
8.7
Make something or someone look fancier by adding decorations
5
9.5
To make something seem more important by adding details or exaggerating
4
3.7
To add decorations to something to make it look nicer
4
7.8
To put fancy decorations like flowers or lights on something to make it look special
3
5.5
To add extra details to a story that often make it less true
2
4.3
To add more details to an idea or story
1
5.7
Make something look nicer by adding decorations
1
2.5
Put paint on something to make it look better
1
7.7
To add extra details to speech or writing to make it more interesting
1
5.0
Make something look more attractive, often only on the surface
1
5.8
To make something better in how it works or how it looks
Make something look more attractive by adding decorations
Make something look more stylish and attractive
Make something look more expensive by adding nicer things
To make something look more beautiful or artistic
Antonyms
How Decorative
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Embellish comes from old French parts em- 'to make' and belle 'beautiful', and this idea of 'making beautiful' also works for stories: writers add extra details to make a tale more exciting. So when someone embellishes the truth, they add small details or exaggerations to make the story more interesting.