titivate means to make small improvements or alterations to (one's appearance etc.); to add some finishing touches to, to spruce up or touch up. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 82 out of 100.
titivate is pronounced /ˈtɪt.ɪ.veɪt/.
Why “titivate” is a great word
TITIVATE — [Verb] To make small, finishing adjustments to one's appearance or surroundings; to spruce up. Its etymology is a modification of the earlier spelling 'tidivate', perhaps based on 'tidy' (meaning neat) and the suffix '-vate', on the pattern of words such as 'cultivate' and 'renovate'. Unlike "renovate," which implies a thorough, structural renewal, or "adorn," which focuses on adding ornamental beauty, to titivate is the art of the minor, superficial adjustment. It is the straightening of a picture frame on a dusty wall, the final tuck of a stray hair before a mirror, or the precise plumping of a cushion on a worn sofa—a small, hopeful protest against the world's slow untidying.
verb
- To make small improvements or alterations to (one's appearance etc.); to add some finishing touches to, to spruce up or touch up.“Had she spent the best part of a day in titivating herself in order that she might sit plunged in darkness, with nothing but her feet and her nose revealed?”