decorative

[ dek-er-uh-tiv, dek-ruh-, dek-uh-rey- ]

adjective

1. serving or tending to decorate.
2. Fine Arts. serving only to decorate, in contrast to providing a meaningful experience.

decorative

/ ˈdɛkrətɪv; ˈdɛkərətɪv /

adjective

1. serving to decorate or adorn; ornamental

Derived Forms

• ˈdecorativeness, noun
• ˈdecoratively, adverb

Other Words From

• deco·ra·tive·ly adverb
• deco·ra·tive·ness noun
• non·deco·ra·tive adjective
• over·deco·ra·tive adjective
• over·deco·ra·tive·ly adverb
• over·deco·ra·tive·ness noun
• un·deco·ra·tive adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of decorative¹

First recorded in 1785–95; decorate + -ive

Example Sentences

Left unfinished at the composer’s death in 1869, it was the most important opera of last weekend and delivered in far and away the least decorative manner.

From Los Angeles Times

Way back when we were filming Season 2, there’s a pretty decorative, spicy-worded conversation in a scene at dinner where Hal is using some pretty harsh language about the vice president that was taken from real life.

From Los Angeles Times

Oblivious to its original purpose, our modern version is an expression of the American idea that you can be whoever you want to be as well as a vehicle for our tensions and anxieties, turning death into a joke with temporary disguises and decorative one-upmanship.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s turtlenecks and quality sweaters, buying decorative gourds for an evening dinner party and coupling up for cuffing season, if not longer term.

From Los Angeles Times

Unable to fold herself into a massive decorative vase and roll herself into her pool, she settled on gulping down 100 benzos.

From Salon

Related Words

• fancy
• ornamental