to bedizen oneself
- phrasal verb
- /bɪˈdaɪzən wʌnˈsɛlf/
:
adornarse
- He would bedizen himself with colorful scarves and elaborate hats to attract attention.
Examples
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The performers bedizened themselves in feathers and sequins for the parade.
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She loves to bedizen herself in glittering jewelry for every celebration.
-
She loves to bedizen herself for parties.
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Why does he always bedizen himself in such bright colors?
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To stand out at the festival, she chose to bedizen herself in vibrant costumes with lots of decorations.
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He enjoys to bedizen himself in flashy clothes that sparkle under the lights.
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Before the big event, they would bedizen themselves in extravagant outfits that dazzled the crowd.
Synonyms
12
2.9
Make something look better than it really is
8
7.2
To get ready by fixing your clothes, hair, or makeup carefully
5
8.6
To dress or decorate in a fancy way to look nicer
4
7.8
To put fancy decorations like flowers or lights on something to make it look special
1
8.9
To make something or someone look bright and showy to attract attention
To make clothes or things look too bright and ugly
To dress or decorate in a very bright way to get attention
To make a person or thing look fancy, often in a showy way
To dress someone or make them act in a showy, fashionable way
To dress people or things in silks and jewelry
How Gaudy
178
2.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb 'bedizen' means 'to adorn in a flashy or excessive style' and the reflexive 'oneself' simply indicates the action is performed on the subject; the combined meaning 'to dress oneself in bright, showy, or tasteless clothing or ornaments' is directly compositional. This follows a standard verb + reflexive pattern that a B1 learner who knows both constituents would be able to infer.
Etymology
Bedizen oneself may come from old word parts like be- and dizen, which meant to dress or decorate someone. Imagine a person covering themselves with bright ribbons, big jewelry and loud clothes to attract attention — that's why it now means 'to dress in bright, showy, or tasteless clothing'.