English Reference
Adjective

embellished

adj.
C1 Advanced US /ɛmˈbɛɫɪʃt/ UK /ɛmbˈɛlɪʃt/ em·bel·lished

adj.made more beautiful or interesting by adding extra details. It can describe an object with decorations or a story that has been made more exciting with extra facts.

adj.enhanced or decorated with additional details, whether physical ornamentation or narrative exaggerations. Often used as a participial adjective to describe prose or decorative arts.


SIMPLE

The dress is embellished with small gold beads.

CONTEXTUAL

He told an embellished version of the accident to make himself look like a hero.

COMPLEX

The manuscript featured heavily embellished margins, filled with intricate gold leaf and vibrant illustrations that reflected the wealth of its original owner.

Usage

Often used predicatively after 'be' or 'look', or attributively before a noun. When describing stories, it implies the addition of fictitious details.

Davis and his defence team have argued that the book was co-authored and sections were embellished or fictionalised to make a profit, and they should not be viewed as direct admissions.

BBC News· 18 Aug 2026

It ticks all of their boxes.” The controversy centred on allegations that Arday had plagiarised parts of his 2015 doctoral thesis and embellished details of his personal biography.

Al Jazeera· 18 Aug 2026
This entry
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated