embroidery

American  

[em-broi-duh-ree, -dree] / ɛmˈbrɔɪ də ri, -dri /

noun

• embroideries
  plural

1. the art of working raised and ornamental designs in threads of silk, cotton, gold, silver, or other material, upon any woven fabric, leather, paper, etc., with a needle.

2. embroidered work or ornamentation.

3. elaboration or embellishment, as in telling a story.

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embroidery British  

/ ɪmˈbrɔɪdərɪ /

noun

1. decorative needlework done usually on loosely woven cloth or canvas, often being a picture or pattern

2. elaboration or exaggeration, esp in writing or reporting; embellishment

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• embroideries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of embroidery

1350–1400; Middle English embrouderie needlework on cloth < Middle French embroud ( er ) + Middle English -erie -ery; oi from embroider

Compare meaning

How does embroidery compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• cross-stitch vs. embroidery

Explanation

Embroidery is the act of decorating a piece of cloth with a stitched design. You may have seen large medieval examples of embroidery hanging on the walls of museums depicting flowers and wild animals and the like. Embroidery also has a common figurative meaning of something deceptive, or an excessive and unnecessary detail designed to mislead, or simply something vain and foolish (see embellishment.) The great American designer Buckminster Fuller summed up this sense of the word nicely: "Tombs are the clothes of the dead and a grave is a plain suit; while an expensive monument is one with embroidery."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

embroidery embroideries

In the middle of enthusing about a cross-stitch embroidery project, she says, “Don’t roll your eyes at me!”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

At Vollpension cafe in Vienna’s lively Wieden district, guests are welcomed by a silver-haired hostess who seats them around coffee tables in a room laden with embroidery.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

The BBC's Katie Razzall reports from outside the museum as the 70-metre long embroidery arrives in the dead of night.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

For its cross-Channel journey, the tapestry has been "folded up like a curtain" and "put in a very, very high-tech container" with climate and vibration controls to protect the delicate embroidery.

From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026

“She’s making the most exquisite pillow casing in the Shu embroidery technique,” he said.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Also designed by Hartnell, the Queen's 1953 Coronation dress was made from silk produced in Kent and features gold bugle beads, diamantés and pearls in exquisitely designed embroideries.

From BBC ● Dec. 26, 2025

Famed mass placard displays in stadiums often feature wartime imagery, and foreign tourists can buy posters and embroideries of soldiers and partisans in Pyongyang.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 26, 2023

Ray Materson’s embroideries are astonishing for their size and intricacy: detailed images rendered in rectangles that never measure more than 5 ¼ inches on either side.

From New York Times ● Mar. 2, 2023

That means choosing the right colours, embroideries for gowns, non-crease fabrics and ensuring necklines, sleeves and hemlines are the correct length.

From Reuters ● May 18, 2022

She was a Swede, and she let Laura and Mary look at the pretty things she had brought from Sweden—laces, and colored embroideries, and china.

From "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Related Words

• brocade
• decoration
• lace
• needlepoint
• quilting
• tapestry