Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Keep "smocking" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "smocking" intact in the sentence you are editing.
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
After choosing a replacement for "smocking", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "smocking" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
6 total sentences available.
Mr. Hudson […] preaches in his surplice. We see no reason why all clergymen should not do likewise. This donning and undonning, this white dressing and black smocking which one sees in so many churches, is a piece of stale nonsense; […]
Source: wiktionary
Smocking forms an effective trimming for ladies' dresses, either as a waistcoat or yoke, and looks well for the crown of a small toque with a velvet brim. The great difficulty in smocking is to gather the material regularly, or the embroidery will look crooked.
Source: wiktionary
Smocking is not in the least difficult once the method has been thoroughly grasped. For some reason it is much more popular in England than in the United States. […] Smocking done in colors on fine white batiste, silk mull, or nainsook makes pretty guimpes and dresses for children and very smart blouses for women.
Source: wiktionary
Such decoration should be chosen for these as can be designed to follow the threads of the material; that is, tucks, plaits, shirrings, and smockings.
Source: wiktionary
Showing 4 of 6 available sentences.
Closest matches include decorative stitching, embossed pattern, embroider, embroidery, gather.
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.