overembellishment
Too much flourish
Overembellishment is excessive decoration or ornamentation—adding so much detail that the effect becomes gaudy or distracting.
The term applies to physical objects, writing, or storytelling: The overembellishment of the Victorian parlor made it feel cluttered.
In narrative, overembellishment means exaggerating or adding unnecessary flourishes to a story until it loses credibility or impact.
Rhetorical extreme exaggeration
- overstatementClaim beyond the facts
- amplificationIncrease in intensity
- embroideryDecorative stitching on fabric
- inflationSustained price level increase
dramatization · magnification · overkill · distortion · overplay · stretching · aggrandizement · overelaboration
Excessive embellishment quality
- baroqueExcessively ornate or elaborate
- rococoExcessively elaborate in style
- fussinessExcessive concern over trivialities
- elaborationDevelopment through detail
filigree · gilding · flourish · adornment · frippery · curlicue · scrollwork · gingerbread
Showy, abundant prosperity
- lavishnessExcessive richness or abundance
- sumptuousnessExtreme costly elegance
- excessSurplus beyond need
- grandeurImpressive splendor and scale
ostentation · profusion · luxury · richness · grandiosity · pomp · splendor · immoderation
hyperbole
Rhetorical extreme exaggeration
- overstatementClaim beyond the facts
- amplificationIncrease in intensity
- embroideryDecorative stitching on fabric
inflation · dramatization · magnification · overkill · distortion · overplay · stretching · aggrandizement · overelaboration · excess
ornateness
Excessive embellishment quality
- baroqueExcessively ornate or elaborate
- rococoExcessively elaborate in style
- fussinessExcessive concern over trivialities
elaboration · filigree · gilding · flourish · adornment · frippery · curlicue · scrollwork · gingerbread · froufrou
opulence
Showy, abundant prosperity
- lavishnessExcessive richness or abundance
- sumptuousnessExtreme costly elegance
- excessSurplus beyond need
grandeur · ostentation · profusion · luxury · richness · grandiosity · pomp · splendor · immoderation · overindulgence
gaudy
Tastelessly ornate
flashy · showy · ostentatious · loud · vulgar · brassy · glaring · tinsel · chintzy · tawdry
- Tacky decorkitsch, gaudiness, garishness, tchotchkes, knickknacks
overembellishmentminimalism
Aesthetic of reduction
simplicity · austerity · plainness · starkness · understatement
overembellishmentunderstatement
Intentional diminishment for effect
plainspokenness · directness · terseness · brevity · conciseness
embellish, embellishment, unembellished, embellished, embellishing, embellishments, embellisher, overembellish, embellishers