beautify

verb

beau·​ti·​fy ˈbyü-tÉ™-ËŒfÄ« How to pronounce beautify (audio)
beautified; beautifying
Synonyms of beautifynext

transitive verb

: to make beautiful or add beauty to
tips on how to beautify your home

intransitive verb

: to grow beautiful
Choose the Right Synonym for beautify

adorn, decorate, ornament, embellish, beautify, deck, garnish mean to enhance the appearance of something by adding something unessential.

adorn implies an enhancing by something beautiful in itself.

a diamond necklace adorned her neck

decorate suggests relieving plainness or monotony by adding beauty of color or design.

decorate a birthday cake

ornament and embellish imply the adding of something extraneous, ornament stressing the heightening or setting off of the original,

a white house ornamented with green shutters

embellish often stressing the adding of superfluous or adventitious ornament.

embellish a page with floral borders

beautify adds to embellish a suggestion of counterbalancing plainness or ugliness.

will beautify the grounds with flower beds

deck implies the addition of something that contributes to gaiety, splendor, or showiness.

a house all decked out for Christmas

garnish suggests decorating with a small final touch and is used especially in referring to the serving of food.

an entrée garnished with parsley

Examples of beautify in a Sentence

Fresh flowers beautify every room. volunteers beautified the roadside landscape by planting flowers
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Registration is open from March 16, 2026, to April 18, 2026, for residents, volunteer groups, and community associations looking to beautify their neighborhoods. Andrew Adeolu, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026 In his first few months in office, Escalona has launched a campaign to beautify Calle Ocho (Southwest Eighth Street) by purchasing a fleet of trucks to pick up garbage. Joshua Ceballos, Miami Herald, 17 Mar. 2026 There are plenty of smaller trees to choose from that beautify your yard and win compliments from neighbors. Steve Bender, Southern Living, 8 Mar. 2026 The high-quality products are made using the finest-grade oils and pigments to protect and beautify exterior wood. Kylie Petty, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for beautify

Word History

Etymology

Middle English bewtyfien, from beaute beauty + -fien -fy

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of beautify was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Beautify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beautify. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.

Kids Definition

beautify

verb
beau·​ti·​fy ˈbyüt-É™-ËŒfÄ« How to pronounce beautify (audio)
beautified; beautifying
: to make beautiful or more beautiful
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