decorative
gb/dˈɛkɹɪtɪv/ us/dˈɛkɹɪtɪv/
B2
English
~ 6900
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B2
property
1
meant to look pretty, not useful
made or used to look nice, not to be very useful
Usage pattern:
a decorative [object]
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.
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)
Collocations
purely decorative
|decorative pillow
|decorative object
|decorative elements
|decorative detail
|decorative plant
Themes
home
|art
|design
|core_vocabulary
|daily_life
Examples
- The shelves are purely decorative and can’t hold much weight.
- She placed a few decorative pillows on the sofa to brighten up the room.
- 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.
- These stones are decorative and do not have a special use.
- 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.
adjective
C1
property
2
relating to decoration or ornament
about the design or style that is used to make things look beautiful, like in art or buildings
Usage pattern:
decorative [style]
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.
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)
Collocations
decorative arts
|decorative style
|decorative motif
|decorative scheme
|decorative pattern
Themes
art
|design
|architecture
|arts_entertainment
|housing
Examples
- The course focuses on decorative arts from the nineteenth century.
- The building features a highly decorative style with carved stonework and painted ceilings.
- 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.
- The room has a very decorative style from the 1920s.
- The wall shows a decorative pattern of leaves.
- She teaches decorative painting on furniture.
- The church has many decorative details on the ceiling.
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.