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Meanings of decorative in English

Serving an esthetic rather than a useful purpose.

        Related terms

        Serving or tending to decorate.

              Usage of decorative in English
              1
              The banner also reveals some nice decorative touches and attention to detail.
              Wired
              2
              The takeover will increase Akzo's exposure to the U.S. decorative paints market.
              Reuters
              3
              They have been illustrated in a magazine of decorative art in Paris.
              Cosmopolis — Volume 1
              4
              She seemed very animated and happy; the decorative scene fitted her admirably.
              The Web of Life
              5
              It offers domestic products, which include paths, edgings, walling and decorative aggregates.
              Reuters
              6
              Do not seek to be decorative in handwriting-theflourishing Spencerian is impossible.
              How to Write Letters (Formerly The Book of Letters) / A Complete...
              7
              A cupola crowning a corner tower; an interesting example of decorative fortification.
              The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci — Volume 2
              8
              The house has an impressive 18th-century staircase, decorative plasterwork and vaulted gallery.
              The Irish Times
              9
              Weren't there some decorative olive oil decanters she could be rearranging elsewhere?
              The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl
              10
              Both decorative and period pieces of silver have shot up in value.
              The Irish Times
              11
              The gifts include decorative pieces in silver and brass, among other items.
              The Guardian
              12
              The new fall jewelry is to be not only decorative but functional.
              The new yorker
              13
              Wouldn't you call that decorative sand on each side of the walkway?
              The perfect woman
              14
              His work at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition is distinctly graceful and decorative.
              Sculpture of the Exposition Palaces and Courts / Descriptive Not...
              15
              Your priority should be mattresses and divans, rather than decorative bed frames.
              The Irish Times
              16
              Some jewelry and small decorative pieces, you know, antique silver and gold.
              Frozen Heat
              About this term
              More collocations
              Decorative through the time
              Decorative across language varieties
              Ireland
              Common
              United Kingdom
              Less common
              United States of America
              Less common