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cosmeticize

American  
[koz-met-uh-sahyz] / kɒzˈmɛt əˌsaɪz /
especially British, cosmeticise

verb (used with object)

cosmeticized, cosmeticizing

  1. to improve superficially; cause to seem better or more attractive.

Etymology

Origin of cosmeticize

First recorded in 1815–25; cosmetic + -ize

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.

He holds down a plodding job as a traveling salesman of schoolbooks that cosmeticize the '60s and neglect to mention evolution.

From Time Magazine Archive

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.