Word for “decorated too much”

Question

I'm looking for a word (verb) meaning decorate/embellish too much — in a bad sense — and in particular having the tint of being too much so that something instead of being beautiful becomes fussy and ugly.

Answer 1

I don't know of any better single verbs than overdecorate, overornament or overembellish. Bedizen is good if you don't mind obscure. I might be tempted to coin baroquify. Related, possibly useful phrases include to tart [something] up and gilding the lily.

Answer 2

Adjectivally, you could describe something as "baroque" (extravagantly ornate, florid, and convoluted in character or style) or "florid" (flowery; excessively ornate; showy), or "overly extravagant".

Verbwise, I can't think of any single word that encompasses that extent of a description unless you want to go for something like "overembellished" with an additional phrase to point out how far beyond the pale it's gone: "He had overembellished it to the point that it became a grotesque parody of its potential nature", or "he had embellished it well past the point of baroque floridity."

Answer 3

How about gaudy?

gaud·y
–adjective, gaud·i·er, gaud·i·est.
1. brilliantly or excessively showy: gaudy plumage.
2. cheaply showy in a tasteless way; flashy.
3. ostentatiously ornamented; garish.

Answer 4

There's actually one word to refer specifically to this. It's "kitsch":

a representation that is excessively sentimental, overdone, or vulgar

Answer 5

I would use the verb "overdo." What exactly has been overdone is usually pretty obvious. Saying something is really overdone usually means it's tacky or overwrought, which I think is what you're looking for.

Answer 6

The word that springs to mind is: Overdecorated.

Answer 7

Make gaudy... over-decorate.

Maybe bedeck

Answer 8

Ragged or shabby means unattractive. When a more complex decoration is applied to something it becomes ugly. It doesn't look professionally made.