Learn English – Word to describe “beautiful but worthless”

single-word-requests

I have a family member who worked at a cat boarding facility. There, she met a couple who jokingly described their cat as "beautiful but worthless." Is there a word in the English language to describe such a purrradox? (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

Best Answer

You could say Mrs. Whiskers is purely ornamental.

For example, Cambridge gives the definition of "ornamental" as precisely "beautiful rather than useful":

Screenshot of Cambridge Dictionary Online's definition of "ornamental" : "beautiful rather than useful".

Furthermore, Vocabulary.com lists "non-functional" as the first synonym of "ornamental", and Wikipedia has this to say about ornamental plants:

Ornamental plants are plants which are grown for display purposes, rather than functional ones.

You could also say Princess Pretty Paws is cosmetic, decorative, or even a mere bauble. Just don't do it to her face.

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