decorative

CEFRB1

/ˈdɛk.ə.ɹə.tɪv/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Used to make something look more attractive.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    A plant, tile, etc. intended for use as decoration.

Examples

  • Do up the box with decorative tape.

  • Rosemaling is a style of decorative painting developed in Norway.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
3
Parts of speech
1
Citations
4

Also pronounced

  • [ˈdɛk.ə.ɹə.ɾɪv]
  • /ˈdek.ə.ɹə.tɪv/

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meaning
  1. That serves to decorate

More examples

In context
  • It's a very decorative plant.

  • The parsnip, stilton and chestnut combination may taste good, but it's not terribly decorative. In fact, dull's the word, a lingering adjectival ghost of nut roasts past that I'm keen to banish from the table.

  • Analysts said the company’s results were in line, but noted that organic growth at the decoratives business was slightly weaker than expected.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The shelf held a small, blank vase with a painted floral pattern.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From Latin decorātus + -ive. Cognate with French décoratif.