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
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
Explanation
Cosmetic refers to how something or someone looks. Visit the cosmetics department of a store if you are looking to buy lipstick, and visit a cosmetic surgeon if you are looking to buy new lips. The word cosmetic has to do with beauty and appearance. Cosmetic surgery makes someone look better, but isn't necessary medically, like heart surgery. A cosmetic change to a building only changes the building’s appearance. Cosmetic often means the same as decorative or ornamental. Also, cosmetics are items used to adorn, especially women, such as nail polish, lipstick, and eyeliner. All uses of cosmetic have to do with what's on the outside, not what's on the inside.
Vocabulary lists containing cosmetic
Elements of the Universe: Cosm, Cosmo ("Universe")
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Locomotion
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Interpreter of Maladies
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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.
In other U.S. cities, subway stations were treated as engineering problems with cosmetic finishes; here, architecture was given equal standing with the technical demands of moving trains.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
A self-styled "beauty consultant" allegedly allowed "dangerous" cosmetic procedures to be carried out despite a legal injunction against him, a court has heard.
From BBC • May 20, 2026
Instead, prosecutors said, “Mailyan billed and received payments for thousands of injections that were never provided or were provided only for cosmetic purposes.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
Gen Z is taking this the furthest, stacking trips onto concerts, sporting events and even medical or cosmetic procedures abroad.
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
Her lips were darker than her skin, wine-stained, blueberry-dyed, so her face had a cosmetic look—as though she had applied a very dark lipstick neatly and blotted away its shine on a scrap of newspaper.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
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.
