Meaning & use
decorated
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Having received a medal or other official honor, especially for courage or great service.
Grammar: Usually before a noun: a decorated soldier; not usually with a degree word like very.
Patterns
- a decorated veteran
- decorated for bravery
The decorated pilot spoke to students about his career.
She is the most decorated athlete in the nation's history.
The general was decorated for bravery in combat.
adjectivecomparable
Made more attractive with added ornaments, colors or other features.
Grammar: Comparable and used before a noun or after a verb: a decorated cake; the room was richly decorated.
Patterns
- decorated with something
The hall was decorated with paper lanterns for the festival.
She baked a beautifully decorated birthday cake.
A heavily decorated mirror hung in the hallway.
Common combinations
- highly decorated
- He was a highly decorated officer.
- richly decorated
- The palace has richly decorated ceilings.
- decorated with flowers
- The table was decorated with flowers.
- decorated veteran
- A decorated veteran led the parade.
- beautifully decorated
- They entered a beautifully decorated living room.
Synonyms and how they differ
- honored
- Honored is broader and may refer to any recognition, while decorated, in this sense, points to an actual medal or award.
- ornamented
- Ornamented is more formal and implies detailed, deliberate adornment, while decorated is common and general.
- adorned
- Adorned is more literary and suggests elegance, whereas decorated is the everyday term.
- embellished
- Embellished suggests added details that go beyond the plain, sometimes even exaggerating a story.
Opposites
Word family
- decorate verb
- to add ornaments, or to give a medal to
- decoration noun
- an ornament, or a medal
- decorative adjective
- made to look attractive
- decorator noun
- a person who designs or paints interiors
- undecorated adjective
- plain, without ornament
Commonly confused: decorated or decorous?
decorated vs decorous
Decorous means polite and proper in behavior, not covered in ornaments.
Practice
The retired general, a ___ veteran, was invited to unveil the memorial.
Choose one answer.
Decorated here means awarded medals, which suits a veteran. Decorative describes things that look pretty, not people honored for service.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “decorated”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.