embellishment C2+ Topic:Cause, Change & Process US /ɪmˈbɛlɪʃmənt/ UK /ɪmˈbɛlɪʃmənt/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun a decorative detail or an exaggeration added to make something more appealing The tale grew with each retelling, gaining a new embellishment each time. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a decorative detail or an... decorationornamentadornmentelaborationgarnishfrill ↔ Opposites simplificationplainness Word family Related forms embellishembellisherbeauty Etymology AI details From embellish (from Old French embellir 'to make beautiful', from en- + bel 'beautiful', from Latin bellus) + the noun-forming suffix -ment. embellir Old French bellus Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Cause, Change & Process Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # embellishment **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ɪmˈbɛlɪʃmənt/ **IPA (UK):** /ɪmˈbɛlɪʃmənt/ ## Meanings 1. a decorative detail or an exaggeration added to make something more appealing ## Examples - The tale grew with each retelling, gaining a new embellishment each time. ## Synonyms - decoration - ornament - adornment - elaboration - garnish - frill ## Antonyms - simplification - plainness ## Related Forms - embellish - embellisher - beauty ## Roots and Affixes - Root: embellir - Root: bellus ## Etymology From embellish (from Old French embellir 'to make beautiful', from en- + bel 'beautiful', from Latin bellus) + the noun-forming suffix -ment. ## AI Etymology Embellishment comes from embellish (from Old French embellir 'to make beautiful', from en- + bel 'beautiful', from Latin bellus) + the noun-forming suffix -ment. The etymological trail includes Old French embellir and Latin bellus. As a noun, embellishment names a decorative detail or an exaggeration added to make something more appealing. The same family is visible in related forms such as embellish, embellisher, and beauty. The analysis is partly morphological, with the modern form built from the elements named in the history. ## Topics - Cause, Change & Process - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown