beautify

verb

beau·​ti·​fy ˈbyü-tə-ˌfī How to pronounce beautify (audio)
beautified; beautifying

transitive verb

: to make beautiful or add beauty to

intransitive verb

: to grow beautiful
beautification noun
beautifier noun
Choose the Right Synonym for beautify

adorn, decorate, ornament, embellish, beautify, deck, garnish mean to enhance the appearance of something by adding something unessential.

adorn implies an enhancing by something beautiful in itself.

a diamond necklace adorned her neck

decorate suggests relieving plainness or monotony by adding beauty of color or design.

decorate a birthday cake

ornament and embellish imply the adding of something extraneous, ornament stressing the heightening or setting off of the original

a white house ornamented with green shutters

, embellish often stressing the adding of superfluous or adventitious ornament.

embellish a page with floral borders

beautify adds to embellish a suggestion of counterbalancing plainness or ugliness.

will beautify the grounds with flower beds

deck implies the addition of something that contributes to gaiety, splendor, or showiness.

a house all decked out for Christmas

garnish suggests decorating with a small final touch and is used especially in referring to the serving of food.

an entrée garnished with parsley

Examples of beautify in a Sentence

Fresh flowers beautify every room. volunteers beautified the roadside landscape by planting flowers
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The group has beautified the beach since 1964. Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2025 Seeking to beautify your tablescape for Easter or Mother’s Day brunch? Stacia Datskovska, WWD, 17 Mar. 2025 The very strange thing is that when it is beautified, my brain very easily gets used to that and attached to that. Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2025 Brown mascara, on the contrary, still enhances and beautifies the lashes but with a softer shade that is complimentary to all. Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 5 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for beautify

Word History

Etymology

Middle English bewtyfien, from beaute beauty + -fien -fy

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of beautify was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Beautify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beautify. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

beautify

verb
beau·​ti·​fy ˈbyüt-ə-ˌfī How to pronounce beautify (audio)
beautified; beautifying
: to make beautiful or more beautiful
beautification noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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