decorative
gb/dˈɛkɹɪtɪv/ us/dˈɛkɹɪtɪv/
B2
English
~ 6900
díszítő, dekoratív, dekorációs, díszítőművészeti, ornamentális
B2
1
Usage pattern:
a decorative [object]
The shelves are purely decorative and can’t hold much weight.
A polcok pusztán díszítő jellegűek, és nem bírnak el nagy súlyt.
She placed a few decorative pillows on the sofa to brighten up the room.
Néhány díszpárnát tett a kanapéra, hogy feldobja a szobát.
There’s a decorative fountain in the lobby that isn’t actually connected to the water supply.
The buttons on the jacket are decorative and don’t fasten anything.
They planted some decorative grasses along the path to make the entrance more inviting.
Learner examples
She has many decorative pillows on her bed.
Sok díszpárna van az ágyán.
These stones are decorative and do not have a special use.
Ezek a kövek csak díszítésre szolgálnak, nincs különösebb hasznuk.
The flowers on the wall are only decorative.
He bought a decorative bowl and put it on the table.
The lights around the window are decorative, not for reading.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *“a very decorate vase”* instead of *“a very decorative vase”*. Use **decorative** (adjective) to describe something that looks nice, and **decorate** (verb) for the action, as in *“to decorate the room.”* It also sounds rude or odd to call a person *decorative* unless you clearly mean they are only there for their looks.
Meaning
meant to look pretty, not useful
Collocations
purely decorative
|decorative pillow
|decorative object
|decorative elements
|decorative detail
|decorative plant
Synonyms
ornamental (slightly more formal; often used for garden plants, objects, and architecture)
|
pretty (more informal and general; focuses on beauty, not specifically on non-usefulness)
Antonyms
functional (emphasizes that something is mainly useful rather than only for appearance)
|
practical (stresses real-world use instead of just visual appeal)
Themes
home
|art
|design
|core_vocabulary
|daily_life
Definition
made or used to look nice, not to be very useful
Made or used mainly to make something look more attractive, especially with little or no practical purpose.
C1
2
Usage pattern:
decorative [style]
The course focuses on decorative arts from the nineteenth century.
A kurzus a tizenkilencedik századi díszítőművészetekkel foglalkozik.
The building features a highly decorative style with carved stonework and painted ceilings.
Az épületet igen dekoratív stílus jellemzi, kőfaragványokkal és festett mennyezetekkel.
She specializes in decorative painting for historic houses.
The tiles include a decorative motif inspired by traditional folk patterns.
They hired an artist to create a decorative scheme for the hotel lobby.
Learner examples
He studies decorative arts at university.
Az egyetemen díszítőművészetet tanul.
The room has a very decorative style from the 1920s.
A szobának nagyon dekoratív, az 1920-as évekre jellemző stílusa van.
The wall shows a decorative pattern of leaves.
She teaches decorative painting on furniture.
The church has many decorative details on the ceiling.
Common mistake:
Learners may not see the difference between **decorative** meaning “only for looks” and this sense used in art or design terms like *“decorative arts”*. Here **decorative** describes a type or field of art, not just something that is pretty but useless.
Meaning
relating to decoration or ornament
Collocations
decorative arts
|decorative style
|decorative motif
|decorative scheme
|decorative pattern
Synonyms
ornamental (often used in the same art and design contexts, with very similar meaning)
|
aesthetic (focuses more on beauty and artistic principles in general, not only on decoration)
Antonyms
minimalist (describes a style that intentionally avoids extra decoration and keeps only simple forms)
Themes
art
|design
|architecture
|arts_entertainment
|housing
Definition
about the design or style that is used to make things look beautiful, like in art or buildings
Relating to the design, ornamentation, or surface treatment that decorates objects, rooms, or buildings.
Grammar
Dictionary form
decorative
IPA
GB/dˈɛkɹɪtɪv/
US/dˈɛkɹɪtɪv/
Syllables & stress
dec - or - at - ive (4 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (dec)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: decorative
Word family
Core family
Related words
Expressions
decorative arts
8/dˈɛkɹɪtɪv ˈɑɹts/
fixed phrase
technical
art of decorating useful objects
a group of art forms like furniture design, ceramics, and textiles that focus on how useful objects look
Examples
- She curated an exhibition on European decorative arts from the 18th century.
- The museum has a large collection of decorative arts, including glass, silver, and porcelain.
decorative element
1/dˈɛkɹɪtɪv ˈɛləmənt/
fixed phrase
part added to improve looks
a part of a building, room, or object that is there mainly to make it look nicer
Examples
- The balcony serves as a decorative element on the front of the house.
- The designer added a wooden beam as a decorative element in the ceiling.
decorative feature
2/dˈɛkɹɪtɪv fˈit͡ʃɚ/
fixed phrase
noticeable part mainly for looks
a clearly seen part of a house, object, or product that is there mostly to make it look good
Examples
- The fireplace is more of a decorative feature than a real heat source.
- The arches over the windows are decorative features that give the building character.
decorative lighting
3/dˈɛkɹɪtɪv lˈaɪtɪŋ/
fixed phrase
lighting mainly for appearance
lights that are used more to make a place look good than to give strong light to see by
Examples
- They added decorative lighting along the garden path for the party.
- The restaurant uses soft decorative lighting to create a relaxed atmosphere.
decorative pillow
4/dˈɛkɹɪtɪv pˈɪloʊ/
fixed phrase
pillow mainly for looks
a small pillow you put on a bed or sofa mainly to make it look nice, not to sleep on
Examples
- The sofa is covered in decorative pillows that match the curtains.
- She bought a few decorative pillows to add color to the guest room.
decorative trim
5/dˈɛkɹɪtɪv tɹˈɪm/
fixed phrase
ornamental edges or borders
a line or edge of material added to clothes, furniture, or buildings mainly to make them look nicer
Examples
- The dress has decorative trim along the sleeves and collar.
- They chose white decorative trim for the windows to match the porch railings.
for decorative purposes
7/fɚ dˈɛkɹɪtɪv pˈɚpəsɪz/
fixed phrase
intended only to decorate
used to say that something is used only to make a place or thing look nice
Examples
- These stones are sold for decorative purposes and are not suitable for construction.
- The plants are mainly there for decorative purposes in the restaurant.
purely decorative
6/pjˈʊɹli dˈɛkɹɪtɪv/
fixed phrase
only for looks, not use
used to say that something is only to look nice and does not really do anything useful
Examples
- Those shelves are purely decorative and can’t support heavy books.
- The buttons on this coat are purely decorative, so you can’t actually button it up.