cosmetic
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
cosmetic
- /kɒzˈmɛtɪk/ UK
- /kɑzˈmɛt.ɪk/ Canada, US
- [kɑzˈmɛɾ.ɪk] Canada, US
- /kɔzˈmet.ɪk/ Australia
- [kɔzˈmeɾ.ɪk] Australia
Where it comes from
From French cosmétique, from Ancient Greek κοσμητική (kosmētikḗ, “the art of dress and ornament”), κοσμητικός (kosmētikós), from κοσμητής (kosmētḗs, “orderer, director, decorator”), from κοσμέω (kosméō, “to order, to arrange, to rule, to adorn, to equip, to dress, to embellish”), from κόσμος (kósmos, “order”). By surface analysis, cosmos + -etic.
adjective more cosmetic · most cosmetic
- Imparting or improving beauty, particularly the beauty of the complexion. a cosmetic preparation
- External or superficial; pertaining only to the surface or appearance of something. Fortunately, the damage to the house was mostly cosmetic and a bit of paint covered it nicely.
noun cosmetics
-
Any substances applied to enhance the external color or texture of the skin, e.g. lipstick, eyeshadow, eyeliner.
These endocrine disruptors are everywhere: plastics, shampoos, cosmetics, cushions, pesticides, canned foods and A.T.M. receipts. They often aren’t on labels and can be difficult to avoid.
Similar: beauty product, makeup, make-up, product[Appendix:Glossary, slap, war paint
- A feature existing only on the surface.
- An intangible influence that improves the overall perception of some thing or situation. All depends upon circumstances—anger as much as any thing else. Interest is your only true cosmetic for smoothing the brow.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: decorative, ornamental, esthetic, esthetical, aesthetical, aesthetic, enhancive, nonfunctional, makeup, eyeliner, make-up, toiletry, above-ground, surficial, surface, aesthetics
Translations
Every language
adj imparting or improving beauty, particularly the beauty of the complexion
| Русский | космети́ческий kosmetíčeskij |
|---|---|
| العربية | تَجْمِيلِيّ tajmīliyy |
adj external or superficial
| Español | cosmético, superficial |
|---|---|
| Português | cosmético |
| Deutsch | kosmetisch |
| Русский | космети́ческий kosmetíčeskij |
| العربية | تَجْمِيلِيّ tajmīliyy |
noun any substances applied to enhance the external color or texture of the skin
| Español | cosmético, afeite |
|---|---|
| Português | cosmético |
| Français | cosmétique, cosmétiques |
| Deutsch | Kosmetikum, Kosmetik, Hautverschönerungsmittel |
| Ελληνικά | καλλυντικό kallyntikó |
| Русский | косме́тика kosmétika |
| Tiếng Việt | mỹ phẩm |
Talk about this word "cosmetic." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/cosmetic. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. cosmetic. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/cosmetic "cosmetic." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/cosmetic.Cite this
@misc{cosmetic_2026,
title = {cosmetic},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/cosmetic},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
