ADORN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does adorn mean? 

• ADORN (verb)
  The verb ADORN has 3 senses:

1. make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.

2. be beautiful to look at

3. furnish with power or authority; of kings or emperors

  Familiarity information: ADORN used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ADORN (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they adorn    ... he / she / it adorns   
Past simple: adorned   
Past participle: adorned   
-ing form: adorning   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Synonyms:

adorn; beautify; decorate; embellish; grace; ornament

Context example:

beautify yourself for the special day

Hypernyms (to "adorn" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Verb group:

ornament (be an ornament to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "adorn"):

festoon (decorate with strings of flowers)

redecorate (redo the decoration of an apartment or house)

panel (decorate with panels)

bejewel; jewel (adorn or decorate with precious stones)

filet; fillet (decorate with a lace of geometric designs)

scallop (decorate an edge with scallops)

bedizen (decorate tastelessly)

dress ship (decorate a ship with flags)

dress; garnish; trim (decorate (food), as with parsley or other ornamental foods)

trim (decorate, as with ornaments)

bedeck; bedight; deck (decorate)

beset; encrust; incrust (decorate or cover lavishly (as with gems))

enamel (coat, inlay, or surface with enamel)

inlay (decorate the surface of by inserting wood, stone, and metal)

lacquer (coat with lacquer)

begild; engild; gild (decorate with, or as if with, gold leaf or liquid gold)

illuminate (add embellishments and paintings to (medieval manuscripts))

blazon; emblazon (decorate with heraldic arms)

color; colour; emblazon (decorate with colors)

fringe (adorn with a fringe)

fret (decorate with an interlaced design)

landscape (embellish with plants)

tart up (decorate in a cheap and flashy way)

wreathe (decorate or deck with wreaths)

braid (decorate with braids or ribbons)

broider; embroider (decorate with needlework)

stick (cover and decorate with objects that pierce the surface)

illustrate (supply with illustrations)

garland (adorn with bands of flowers or leaves)

fledge; flight (decorate with feathers)

bespangle; spangle (decorate with spangles)

foliate (decorate with leaves)

flag (decorate with flags)

bard; barde; caparison; dress up (put a caparison on)

bead (decorate by sewing beads onto)

pipe (trim with piping)

applique (sew on as a decoration)

gild the lily; paint the lily (adorn unnecessarily (something that is already beautiful))

vermiculate (decorate with wavy or winding lines)

smock (embellish by sewing in straight lines crossing each other diagonally)

hang (decorate or furnish with something suspended)

prank (dress or decorate showily or gaudily)

tinsel (adorn with tinsel)

stucco (decorate with stucco work)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

They adorn the halls with holly

Derivation:

adornment (the action of decorating yourself with something colorful and interesting)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Be beautiful to look at

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

adorn; beautify; deck; decorate; embellish; grace

Context example:

Flowers adorned the tables everywhere

Hypernyms (to "adorn" is one way to...):

be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "adorn"):

ornament (be an ornament to)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Sentence example:

Holly flowers adorn the halls

Derivation:

adornment (a decoration of color or interest that is added to relieve plainness)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Furnish with power or authority; of kings or emperors

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

adorn; clothe; invest

Hypernyms (to "adorn" is one way to...):

equip; fit; fit out; outfit (provide with (something) usually for a specific purpose)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody with something

 Context examples 

Clerval eagerly desired to accept this invitation, and I, although I abhorred society, wished to view again mountains and streams and all the wondrous works with which Nature adorns her chosen dwelling-places.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

I saw those two together, in a bright perspective, such well-associated friends, each adorning the other so much!

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

A stout Frenchman, who knew the Emperor, came to indulge his mania for dancing, and Lady de Jones, a British matron, adorned the scene with her little family of eight.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Then, unable to settle down to reading, I walked slowly round the room, examining the pictures of celebrated criminals with which every wall was adorned.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The knife with which the crime had been committed was a curved Indian dagger, plucked down from a trophy of Oriental arms which adorned one of the walls.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

There was a certain magic in the original conception, and he had adorned it with more magic of phrase and touch.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

The team speculated that perhaps the small dust grains adorning the surface of most comets eroded during `Oumuamua’s journey through interstellar space, with only larger dust grains remaining.

(ESO’s VLT Sees `Oumuamua Getting a Boost, ESO)

The surface of a nanoparticle can also be adorned with various targeting agents, such as antibodies, drugs, imaging agents, and reporters.

(Nanoparticle, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

But she had seen enough of him to join in all the admiration of the others, and with an energy which always adorned her praise.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

Its banks were neither formal nor falsely adorned.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)