baroque

Word family

• baroquely
  adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe rich visual or stylistic detail, but they differ in scope and connotation. Ornate focuses on surface decoration — the abundance of applied detail — and can describe anything from a wedding invitation to a cathedral; it is the closest general synonym for baroque but lacks the historical specificity. Elaborate suggests careful, painstaking workmanship and many interconnected parts; it is neutral-to-positive, whereas the figurative sense of baroque can be critical. Ornamented is more technical and passive — an object that has had decoration added to it — and rarely carries the dramatic energy of baroque. Flamboyant emphasises showiness and boldness rather than sheer quantity of detail; a flamboyant gesture need not be complicated, just striking. In practice: "an ornate picture frame" could be any period, but "a baroque picture frame" places it in the 17th–18th centuries; "elaborate lacework" admires the crafter's skill, while "baroque lacework" calls up the heavy, swirling patterns of the era.

Common collocations

Etymology

The word baroque came into English from French in the 1700s. The French borrowed it from Portuguese barroco, which meant a rough or irregular pearl — an imperfect gem that could not be made into a smooth round bead. Jewellers used the term for oddly shaped pearls, and later critics of 17th-century art picked it up as a mocking label for what they saw as bizarre, twisted, and excessive ornament. Over time the label lost its insulting edge and became the neutral name for one of Europe's most dramatic artistic periods.