Ornate
Elaborately or highly decorated; richly adorned.
adjectiveOrnate
Elaborately or highly decorated; richly adorned.
adjectiveImagine This
Imagine entering a ballroom whose walls are covered with gold leaf, intricate moldings, and swirling floral patterns; every surface gleams with elaborate detail.
Sounds Like
OR-nate (emphasize the second syllable)
Looks Like
Looks like ornate carvings or embellishments; resembles decorations and filigree.
Remember This
Ornate typically describes decoration, architecture, or prose that is highly elaborate. It often carries a sense of luxury, sometimes to the point of being overly decorative.
Other Forms
Note
Avoid using ornate when you mean simple or plain. In writing, ornate prose can feel flowery or pretentious if overdone.
Study Deeper
- The palace features ornate ceilings with gold leaf and delicate stucco.
- She wore an ornate necklace set with rubies and emeralds.
From Latin ornatus, past participle of ornare 'to decorate'; related to ornament.
Mnemonic: Nate the decorator makes things ornate. ORNATE sounds like ORNAMENT with a simple twist—remember that ornate means richly ornamented.
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Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
Elaborate
verbTo explain or describe something in greater detail; to add more information. As an adjective, describing something that is highly detailed or ornate.
Intricate
adjectiveVery complicated or detailed; having many interrelated parts.
Florid
adjectiveRichly ornamented or colored; elaborately decorative; also reddened in the face.
Abstruse
adjectiveDifficult to understand; obscure or highly complex.
Accidental
adjectiveHappening by chance or without deliberate planning; not intended. In music, it is also a noun for a symbol that temporarily alters a pitch.
Acerbic
adjectiveSharp or biting in tone or taste; caustic or mordant in manner.