overembellished

Excessively decorated work

Overembellished describes something decorated or elaborated to excess—too many flourishes, details, or ornaments for the effect intended.

An overembellished story has unnecessary additions that dilute its impact.

An overembellished room feels cluttered rather than elegant: The cake was so overembellished with frosting roses that you couldn't see the layers beneath.

excessive

overdone

Excessive in degree

overwroughtExcessively emotional or elaborate
overstatedClaimed more than true
exaggeratedMade larger than reality

over-the-top · overblown · overworked · overelaborate · hyperbolic · inflated · amplified · overkill · superfluous · unnecessary

florid

flowery

Elaborately ornamental in style

purpleHue between crimson and azure
grandiloquentPretentiously elevated in speech
bombasticExcessively inflated language

rhetorical · verbose · prolix · effusive · gushing · extravagant · flamboyant · theatrical · dramatic · affected

ornate

elaborate

Complex and detailed

intricateElaborately detailed, many parts
baroqueExcessively ornate or elaborate
rococoExcessively elaborate in style

filigree · arabesque · embroidered · decorated · adorned · embellished · festooned · bedecked · bejeweled · encrusted

gaudy

flashy

Showy, often tastelessly so

garishTastelessly showy
showyExcessively eye-catching
ostentatiousShowily excessive

loud · tacky · kitsch · glitzy · brassy · vulgar · splashy · glaring · clashing · tawdry

Opposites

decorative elaboration

overembellishedspare

Held in reserve

unadorned · minimalist · plain · austere · simple

simplicity of expression

overembellishedrestrained

Held under control

understated · unvarnished · terse · economical · spare

Family

overembellish, overembellishing, overembellishment

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Everyday, not technical · Rated G