cosmetic
Americannoun
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a powder, lotion, lipstick, rouge, or other preparation for beautifying the face, skin, hair, nails, etc.
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cosmetics, superficial measures to make something appear better, more attractive, or more impressive.
The budget committee opted for cosmetics instead of a serious urban renewal plan.
adjective
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serving to beautify; imparting or improving beauty, especially of the face.
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used or done superficially to make something look better, more attractive, or more impressive.
Alterations in the concert hall were only cosmetic and did nothing to improve the acoustics.
noun
adjective
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serving or designed to beautify the body, esp the face
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having no other function than to beautify
cosmetic illustrations in a book
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derogatory designed to cover up a greater flaw or deficiency; superficial
their resignation is a cosmetic exercise
Other Word Forms
- anticosmetics adjective
- cosmetically adverb
- cosmeticology noun
Etymology
Origin of cosmetic
1595–1605; < Greek kosmētikós relating to adornment, equivalent to kosmēt ( ós ) adorned, arranged (verbid of kosmeîn, derivative of kósmos order, arrangement) + -ikos -ic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The jet only required cosmetic touch-ups and the carrier hasn’t filed a claim, they said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
He was steadfast that all he was doing was helping, that the objections were cosmetic, and overblown.
From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026
Lefevres says, following scientific analysis of cosmetic talc products, the memo recommended minimising the use of tremolite until substantial evidence showed it had no adverse effects.
From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026
Twenty-nine people were in the four-story building, which also housed apartments and a cosmetic clinic, at the time of the early morning collapse, according to the Minas Gerais state fire department.
From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026
My plan, I told him, was simply to effect essentially cosmetic changes in order to make the ANC more intelligible — and more palatable — to our allies.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
