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Word for “decorated too much”

English Language & Usage Asked on December 14, 2020

I’m looking for a word (verb) meaning decorate/embellish too much — in a bad sense — and in particular having the tint of being too much so that something instead of being beautiful becomes fussy and ugly.

13 Answers

I don't know of any better single verbs than overdecorate, overornament or overembellish. Bedizen is good if you don't mind obscure. I might be tempted to coin baroquify. Related, possibly useful phrases include to tart [something] up and gilding the lily.

Correct answer by chaos on December 14, 2020

I would use the verb "overdo." What exactly has been overdone is usually pretty obvious. Saying something is really overdone usually means it's tacky or overwrought, which I think is what you're looking for.

Answered by kitukwfyer on December 14, 2020

Adjectivally, you could describe something as baroque:

extravagantly ornate, florid, and convoluted in character or style
from dictionary.com

or florid:

flowery; excessively ornate; showy
from dictionary.com

Verbwise, I can't think of any single word that encompasses that extent of a description, unless you want to go for something like overembellished with an additional phrase to point out how far beyond the pale it's gone: "He had overembellished it to the point that it became a grotesque parody of its potential nature", or "he had embellished it well past the point of baroque floridity."

Answered by Hellion on December 14, 2020

Ragged or shabby means unattractive. When a more complex decoration is applied to something it becomes ugly. It doesn't look professionally made.

Answered by maniclorn on December 14, 2020

How about gaudy?

gaud·y
–adjective, gaud·i·er, gaud·i·est.
1. brilliantly or excessively showy: gaudy plumage.
2. cheaply showy in a tasteless way; flashy.
3. ostentatiously ornamented; garish.

Answered by Elemenliation on December 14, 2020

The word that springs to mind is: Overdecorated.

Answered by Francine on December 14, 2020

Make gaudy... over-decorate.

Maybe bedeck

Answered by Caffeinated on December 14, 2020

There's actually one word to refer specifically to this. It's "kitsch":

a representation that is excessively sentimental, overdone, or vulgar

Answered by Thursagen on December 14, 2020

How about garish?

From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:

garish adj 1: tastelessly showy; "a flash car"; "a flashy ring"; "garish colors"; "a gaudy costume"; "loud sport shirts"; "a meretricious yet stylish book"; "tawdry ornaments" [syn: {brassy}, {cheap}, {flash}, {flashy}, {garish}, {gaudy}, {gimcrack}, {loud}, {meretricious}, {tacky}, {tatty}, {tawdry}, {trashy}]

Answered by user151342 on December 14, 2020

the word you seek is ungapatchka. (it's yiddish)

Urban Dictionary:

a Yiddish word that describes the overly ornate, busy, ridiculously over-decorated, and garnished to the point of distaste.

the clothing looks ungapatchka.

Answered by liberty on December 14, 2020

Rococo is another term that might apply. Although more in reference to painting, it conveys the sense of gingerbread which this question addresses.

Answered by NorseRadish on December 14, 2020

well i guess you could use the word bedeck.

for example my friend john led me to his room bedecked with green marbles

Answered by yoron on December 14, 2020

Shmonzes means valueless stuff--used for objects

small pieces of valueless decorative bric-a-brac; idle talk (Yiddish origin, jel.jewish-languages).

Schmates is for raggedy clothes.

Answered by user407895 on December 14, 2020

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