embroidered

IPA/ɪmˈbrɔɪ.dər/
KK[ɛmbrˈɔɪdɚd]IPA/ɪmˈbrɔɪ.dɚ/

embroidered — verb

  • embroideredpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • embroidereds3rd person singular
  • embroidereding-ing form
  • embroiderededpast simple

1. to add stitched designs to cloth or clothing so the decoration becomes part of t

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to add stitched designs to cloth or clothing so the decoration becomes part of the fabric

Example

Dewi embroidered bright flowers onto the baby's blanket before the festival.

embroidered + object + onto + fabric

Gabriela embroidered her denim jacket with silver stars for the concert.

embroidered + object + with + design

Common collocations
  • embroidered blanket
  • embroidered jacket
  • embroidered logo
  • embroidered border
Synonyms
  • decorate

    broader and does not specifically suggest sewing with thread

  • stitch

    focuses on the sewing action itself, while embroidered emphasizes the decorative result

  • ornament

    more formal and can describe many kinds of decoration, not only needlework

Antonyms
  • plain

    describes cloth left without decorative work

  • strip

    means removing decoration rather than adding it

Grammar Patterns

embroidered + object

embroidered + object + with + pattern

embroidered + noun

Usage Note

The object is usually cloth, clothing, or another fabric item, and the added design is often named with on, onto, or with.

Common Mistakes

She embroidered the story on the blanket.
She embroidered flowers on the blanket.
For the sewing sense, the thing after 'embroidered' should be a design or pattern, not a story.
The tailor embroidered on the towel the logo.
The tailor embroidered the logo on the towel.
Put the design directly after 'embroidered' before the place where it was sewn.

2. to make an account sound more interesting by inventing extra details that are no

2.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to make an account sound more interesting by inventing extra details that are not true

Example

Christopher embroidered the camping story by saying a bear circled the tents.

embroidered + story + by saying + invented detail

Layla embroidered her excuse by claiming the train caught fire.

embroidered + excuse with dramatic detail

Common collocations
  • embroidered the story
  • embroidered the account
  • embroidered an excuse
  • embroidered the version
Synonyms
  • embellish

    close in meaning, but often sounds slightly more formal

  • exaggerate

    focuses on making something larger or more extreme, while embroidered can involve invented side details

  • invent

    stronger and more direct about making something up completely

Antonyms
  • report

    emphasizes stating facts without adding fiction

  • understate

    means making something sound less dramatic, not more

Grammar Patterns

embroidered + story

embroidered + account

embroidered + object + with + extra details

Usage Note

Usually critical and most often used for stories, excuses, and reports where someone adds imagined details instead of keeping to the facts.

Common Mistakes

The guide embroidered the dress with blue thread.
The guide embroidered the story with a dramatic ending.
When meaning 'add invented details,' the object must be an account or story, not cloth.
He embroidered the report carefully and accurately.
He wrote the report carefully and accurately.
This sense implies changing the truth, not simply writing with care.

embroidered — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/2

When people embroider a story, they add made-up details to make it more vivid or dramatic. Embellish is close but often sounds slightly more formal or literary. Exaggerate usually means making one part bigger, worse, or better than it really was, while embroider can add side details that were never there at all. Invent is the strongest word because it can suggest creating the whole claim from nothing rather than decorating a basically true account.

embroider ↗embellish ↗exaggerate ↗invent ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • embroidered with silver stars
  • embroidered the hotel logo
  • embroidered the story with extra details
  • embroidered cushion cover

Prepositions

Etymology

GermanicFrenchEnglish

Embroidered is the past-tense and past-participle form of embroider. Embroider came into English through French from an older Germanic root connected with decorating a border or edge.

First known use

1576

1576, in the meaning defined above