1
: marked by elaborate rhetoric (see rhetoric sense 2b) or florid (see florid sense 1a) style
is clear and simple rather than ornate and pompous—
The Times Literary Supplement (London)
The Times Literary Supplement (London)2
: elaborately or excessively decorated
an ornate mantle
an ornate townhouse
ornate chandeliers
ornately
adverb
ornateness
noun
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
Indie rock veered away from the more ornate, baroque pocket that Grizzly Bear dominated, with indie rock bands in the late 2010s and early 2020s going more pop, country, or shoegaze.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 10 Oct. 2025
Ruiz’s family members in Alabama sold tamales and organized a raffle of an ornate belt buckle to raise funds for bail.
—Amy Yurkanin, ProPublica, 9 Oct. 2025
If earlier iterations of the lesbian vampire film were Gothic and ornate, Nadja is more shoegaze, captured on bleary black-and-white videotape with an expressionistic flair.
—Samantha Allen, Them., 7 Oct. 2025
Castlecore costumes often include flowing dresses, corsets, layered fabrics, and ornate accessories.
—Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ornate
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Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 10 Oct. 2025
Ruiz’s family members in Alabama sold tamales and organized a raffle of an ornate belt buckle to raise funds for bail.
—Amy Yurkanin, ProPublica, 9 Oct. 2025
If earlier iterations of the lesbian vampire film were Gothic and ornate, Nadja is more shoegaze, captured on bleary black-and-white videotape with an expressionistic flair.
—Samantha Allen, Them., 7 Oct. 2025
Castlecore costumes often include flowing dresses, corsets, layered fabrics, and ornate accessories.
—Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ornate
Cite this Entry
“Ornate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ornate. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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