rococo

Dripping with embellishment

Rococo describes an ornate, elaborate decorative style characterized by curves, scrollwork, and pastel colors.

The term originated with an 18th-century European art movement but now applies broadly to anything excessively ornamental or florid: rococo prose, rococo architectural details.

The word often carries a slightly dismissive tone, suggesting something overwrought or fussy. (Capitalized Rococo refers specifically to the historical art movement.)

ornate

florid

Excessively ornate or ruddy

ornamented · festooned · opulent · sumptuous · lavish · fussy · overwrought · decorated · filigree · scrollwork

whimsical

playful

Inclined toward fun

capricious · delicate · airy · frothy · theatrical · exuberant · effervescent · dainty · pretty

pejorative

gaudy

Tastelessly ornate

kitsch · garish · tacky · superficial · indulgent

Categories
Opposites
ornamental complexity

rococominimalist

One favoring bare essentials

plain · simple · austere · bare · unadorned

artistic movement/period style

rococoBauhaus

Influential modernist design school

modernism · neoclassicism · International Style · brutalism · functionalism

expressive register

rococoplain-spoken

Speaking without ornament

straightforward · direct · clear · unvarnished · blunt

Family

baroque

Familiarity
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Used worldwide · Timeless · Rated G