ornate

adjective

or·​nate ȯr-ˈnāt How to pronounce ornate (audio)
1
: marked by elaborate rhetoric (see rhetoric sense 2b) or florid (see florid sense 1a) style
is clear and simple rather than ornate and pompousThe Times Literary Supplement (London)
2
: elaborately or excessively decorated
an ornate mantle
an ornate townhouse
ornate chandeliers
ornately adverb
ornateness noun

Examples of ornate in a Sentence

She doesn't like ornate jewelry. an ornate gambling casino that is designed to look like an Italian palace
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 discovery reveals the ornate way that Romans decorated their homes. Daniel Wine, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024 An open hallway outside Dengel’s office overlooks the library’s main floor and is flanked by an ornate brass railing. David Owen, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024 Baseball fans were tickled this year when Seattle Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo placed his sunflower seeds in the dirt in an ornate arrangement that possibly represented some kind of message to extraterrestrials. Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2024 My favorite feature of the new $420,000, all-electric Rolls-Royce Spectre isn’t the cosseting ride quality or the illuminated stars embedded in the headliner of the insanely ornate interior. Tim Stevens, The Verge, 3 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ornate 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ornat, from Latin ornatus, past participle of ornare to furnish, embellish; akin to Latin ordo order — more at order

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near ornate

Cite this Entry

“Ornate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ornate. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

ornate

adjective
or·​nate ȯr-ˈnāt How to pronounce ornate (audio)
: decorated in a fancy way
ornately adverb
ornateness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on ornate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!