overembellish
Add too much
To overembellish is to add excessive ornamentation or detail, decorating something past the point of improvement: The director overembellished what should have been a simple scene.
The word applies to physical decoration, storytelling, or any creative work where additions detract rather than enhance.
Someone who overembellishes a story adds so many flourishes that listeners doubt its truth.
Using more language than necessary
- prolixExcessively wordy in speech
- verboseMore words than necessary
- pleonasticUnnecessarily wordy in expression
- tautologicalSelf-repeating in meaning
redundant · long-winded · flowery · purple prose · overwrought · padded · bloated · rambling
Showily excessive
- flamboyantStrikingly bold in style
- flashyShowy, often tastelessly so
- gaudyTastelessly ornate
- garishTastelessly showy
showy · tacky · kitschy · glitzy · loud · busy · overdone · vulgar
Rhetorical extreme exaggeration
- overstateRepresent as greater
- embroiderSew decorative patterns
- amplifyIncrease in strength
- dramatizeDepict with heightened emotion
overplay · magnify · stretch · elaborate · color · overdraw · aggrandize · inflate
Excessively ornate or elaborate
- rococoExcessively elaborate in style
- gildedOverlaid with gold leaf
- floridExcessively ornate or ruddy
- filigreeDelicate twisted-wire ornamentation
brocade · arabesque · scrollwork · festooned · bejeweled · frescoed · embroidered · intricate
Filled beyond capacity
- busyActively occupied with tasks
- fussyExcessively particular
- overstuffedExcessively filled or padded
- crammedOverfilled or overstuffed
crowded · overloaded · overwrought · congested · muddled · overworked · excessive · distracting
wordy
Using more language than necessary
- prolixExcessively wordy in speech
- verboseMore words than necessary
- pleonasticUnnecessarily wordy in expression
tautological · redundant · long-winded · flowery · purple prose · overwrought · padded · bloated · rambling · overwritten
ostentatious
Showily excessive
- flamboyantStrikingly bold in style
- flashyShowy, often tastelessly so
- gaudyTastelessly ornate
garish · showy · tacky · kitschy · glitzy · loud · busy · overdone · vulgar · tasteless
hyperbole
Rhetorical extreme exaggeration
dramatize · overplay · magnify · stretch · elaborate · color · overdraw · aggrandize · inflate · gild
baroque
Excessively ornate or elaborate
filigree · brocade · arabesque · scrollwork · festooned · bejeweled · frescoed · embroidered · intricate · overwrought
overcrowded
Filled beyond capacity
- busyActively occupied with tasks
- fussyExcessively particular
- overstuffedExcessively filled or padded
crammed · crowded · overloaded · overwrought · congested · muddled · overworked · excessive · distracting · overwhelming
overembellishstrip down
Remove covering or components
simplify · plain · simple · minimalist · unadorned
overembellishunderstate
Express with restraint
downplay · restrained · understated · subdued · muted
overembellishunderstate
Express with restraint
downplay · play down · tone down · de-emphasize · soft-pedal