as in decorative
serving to add beauty
changes in the original design of the building were purely cosmetic
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Recent Examples of cosmetic
Kennedy French, Variety, 6 May 2026
Many religions condemn vanity and praise modesty, which can inform attitudes toward cosmetic work.
—ABC News, 6 May 2026
Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
It was also adopted by dermo-cosmetic brands for sensitive skin.
—Kiana Murden, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cosmetic
Adjective
The event offers a range of in-game rewards, including cosmetic items and a new melee weapon.
—Kennedy French, Variety, 6 May 2026
Many religions condemn vanity and praise modesty, which can inform attitudes toward cosmetic work.
—ABC News, 6 May 2026
Noun
These versatile salves might serve to treat a burn, as a facial cosmetic, or as a hair conditioner in a pinch.
—Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
It was also adopted by dermo-cosmetic brands for sensitive skin.
—Kiana Murden, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cosmetic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cosmetic
Adjective
-
Bedside lanterns, traditional tea pots above the minibar, and authentic decorative pottery fill the room.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 May 2026
-
Queen Camilla wore a smocked jersey shirtdress in Merida red with a decorative blossom pattern.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
The series is also pursuing recognition across a wide swath of craft categories, including cinematography, editing, production design, prosthetic makeup, costumes, hairstyling, sound editing, sound mixing and special visual effects.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
12 May 2026
-
Dior, as a longterm partner of La Terrasse by Albane, is creating a hair and makeup studio on the roof of the JW Marriott Hotel for film talents and celebrities to prep before interviews or photo shoots.—
Jennifer Weil,
Footwear News,
12 May 2026
Adjective
-
Crops like amaranth, chives, rainbow chard, red lettuces and sweet potatoes will add lovely ornamental value to beds, borders and containers before working a second shift on your dinner plate.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 May 2026
-
As part of the celebration marking the return of the Preakness, the colors of the race’s winner were painted onto the ornamental weather vane at Pimlico Racecourse for the first time.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
Scoring in the paint, and then the threes start falling after that.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
10 May 2026
-
The Sky scored 48 points in the paint.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
Some of the new cocktails include the Dubai Tai, which mixes rum, a pistachio simple syrup and chocolate, and the Ay Dio Tigre, made with tequila, strawberry, watermelon, tajin and red food coloring.—
Carlos Rico,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 May 2026
-
One new study looked at how the coloring of microplastics – the tiny bits of plastics found everywhere from our rivers to our brains – may actually be helping increase temperatures.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cosmetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cosmetic. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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