Embellish

medium

em-BEL-ish

verb

Definition

to adorn, or to exaggerate with fictitious details

Examples

He tends to embellish his stories until they barely resemble what happened.
Gilded frames embellish every portrait hanging in the long gallery.

Synonyms

adornornamentembroiderexaggerate

Antonyms

simplifystripunderstateplain

Categories

GRE Tip

Embellish is a medium-difficulty GRE word. On the GRE, you might see it paired with synonyms like "adorn" or "ornament" in Sentence Equivalence questions. Look for contrast clues (however, despite, although) that signal the opposite meaning. Words like "simplify".

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