ornate

adjective

or·​nate ȯr-ˈnāt 

1

: marked by elaborate rhetoric (see rhetoric entry 1 sense 2b) or florid (see florid sense 1a) style

He is clear and simple rather than ornate and pompous.

—The Times Literary Supplement (London)

2

: elaborately or excessively decorated

an ornate mantle

an ornate townhouse

ornate chandeliers

ornately adverb

ornateness noun

Synonyms of ornate

• baroque
• decorated
• adorned
• extravagant
• ornamented
• gilded
• florid
• loud
• lacy
• overwrought
• gingerbread
• overdecorated

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

Bathrooms are marble and have L’Officine Universelle Buly 1803 bath products, which come packaged in beautifully ornate bottles. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

Known for its dark humor and groundbreaking CGI, Death Becomes Her astounds with ornate design detail and extravagant furnishings. — Kelly Allen, Architectural Digest, 6 Oct. 2026

Related Articles Luckily, all of the book’s 150 large interior pages, or parchments made from sheepskins, are in safe keeping and were not displayed with the ornate cover at the time of the theft. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 6 Oct. 2026

From the stands, more than 5,000 spectators dressed for the occasion in cowboy hats, leather boots and ornate rodeo belt buckles cheered them on. — Haley Parsley october 4, Sacbee.com, 4 Oct. 2026

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

Rhymes for ornate

• abate
• airfreight
• await
• baseplate
• berate
• birthdate
• birthrate
• bookplate
• borate
• breastplate
• bromate
• casemate

Kids Definition

ornate

adjective

or·​nate ȯr-ˈnāt 

: decorated in a fancy way

ornately adverb

ornateness noun