Word of the Day

: January 10, 2010

cosmeticize

verb kahz-MET-uh-syze

What It Means

: to make (something unpleasant or ugly) superficially attractive

cosmeticize in Context

The authors of the legislation have cosmeticized it with tax breaks and tax cuts.

Did You Know?

"Cosmeticize" first appeared in print in the early 19th century as a descendant of the noun "cosmetic." Originally, its use was often literal, with the meaning "to apply a cosmetic to," but today it is often used figuratively. "Cosmeticize" does occasionally draw criticism; usage commentators are sometimes irritated by verbs coined using "-ize" as they can sound like silly, nonce words. "Cosmeticize" is fairly well-established, however, in contrast with the two other, rarer verbs that have been derived from "cosmetic": "cosmetize," which often turns up in the literal sense ("cosmetize the face"), and "cosmetic," which can be literal or figurative ("cosmeticked with bright rouge"; "embellished and cosmeticked").