Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Relating to or resembling flowers: Describing something that is decorated with, contains, or suggests the presence of flowers.
   • Elaborate or ornate in style: Describing language, speech, or writing that is excessively embellished, decorative, or full of elaborate figures of speech.

Examples of Usage

• Relating to flowers:
  • She wore a flowery dress to the garden party.
  • The room was filled with the scent of the flowery perfume.
• Elaborate in style:
  • The poet's flowery language was beautiful but sometimes difficult to understand.
  • He avoided flowery speeches and preferred to speak plainly.

Advanced Usage

• "Flowery prose": Writing that is excessively ornate or decorated with elaborate language.
  • The novel's flowery prose appealed to some readers but bored others.
• "Flowery description": An overly detailed and embellished account of something.
  • The travel brochure contained a flowery description of the hotel that didn't match reality.

Variants and Related Words

• Flowered (adj): Patterned with a design of flowers.
  • She chose a flowered tablecloth for the dinner.
• Floral (adj): Of or relating to flowers. (Note: 'Floral' is more commonly used for things made of or decorated with real flowers or their likeness, while 'flowery' can be more figurative).
  • The floral arrangement was stunning.

Synonyms

• Ornate: Made in an intricate shape or decorated with complex patterns, especially regarding language or style.
• Embellished: Made more attractive by the addition of decorative details or features.
• Florid: Having a red or flushed complexion, or (of language) using unusual words or complex rhetorical constructions.

Antonyms

• Plain: Not decorated or elaborate; simple.
• Unadorned: Not decorated; plain.
• Laconic: Using very few words; brief.

Related Phrases

• Flowery language: Speech or writing that is full of elaborate or literary words and phrases.
  • Politicians are often accused of using flowery language to obscure the truth.
• Flowery expression: A phrase or turn of speech that is overly decorative.
  • "The golden orb of day" is a flowery expression meaning "the sun".

Adjective

1. marked by elaborate rhetoric and elaborated with decorative details
   • a flowery speech
   • ornate rhetoric taught out of the rule of Plato-John Milton
2. of or relating to or suggestive of flowers
   • a flowery hat
   • flowery wine