Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Serving to decorate or embellish; ornamental.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Of or pertaining to decoration; concerned with decoration: as, decorative art.
- Of an ornamental nature; decorating; embellishing.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Suited to decorate or embellish; adorning.
- adjective fine art which has for its end ornamentation, rather than the representation of objects or events.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective That serves to
decorate - noun A
plant ,tile , etc. intended for use asdecoration .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective serving an esthetic rather than a useful purpose
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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The architects and the artists who are associated with them in the work of supplying us with what we call decorative arts of all sorts, form the only class of the community to whom the rest of the community can look to for advancement in this direction.
The American Architect and Building News, Vol. 27, Jan-Mar, 1890 Various
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Schwanthaler had remarkable powers of invention and a fruitful imagination; in these points he ranks with the first of modern sculptors; but his works rarely rise above what we call decorative art, and in spite of his excellent gifts he lacked the power to arouse any enthusiasm for his statues.
A History of Art for Beginners and Students Painting, Sculpture, Architecture Clara Erskine Clement Waters 1875
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Above the eagle and shield are three stars, which are purely decorative is in the centre of the shirt and the makers, Le Coq Sportif, have their logo on the top right of the shirt.
Manchester City 2008-09 season home kits Azmie aka switch image 2009
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Above the eagle and shield are three stars, which are purely decorative is in the centre of the shirt and the makers, Le Coq Sportif, have their logo on the top right of the shirt.
Archive 2009-02-01 Azmie aka switch image 2009
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Cloth was expensive and hard to come by so the fabric often could not be spared for use in decorative work such as a quilt; previously worn clothing would more likely be refashioned to be worn by another family member.
Kate Kelly: American Quilts as Art as Well as Documents of Politics and History Kate Kelly 2010
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Traditional Savon de Marseille Olive oil Soap block in decorative tin
French Word-A-Day: 2007
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His work is regarded as one of the outstanding achievements in American decorative arts.
History of American Women Maggiemac 2009
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Traditional Savon de Marseille Olive oil Soap block in decorative tin
French Word-A-Day: 2007
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Traditional Savon de Marseille Olive oil Soap block in decorative tin
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Check out this gallery of hand-painted Russian mice in decorative styles includingÂChochloma, generally used on decorative plates and dishes.
Boing Boing: September 18, 2005 - September 24, 2005 Archives 2005
ruzuzu commented on the word decorative
I have a dear friend who pronounces this "de-COR-a-tive" (rhymes with pejorative).
September 9, 2010