cosmetic
adjective/kɒzˈmetɪk/
/kɑːzˈmetɪk/
- improving only the outside appearance of something and not its basic character
- These reforms are not merely cosmetic.
- She dismissed the plan as a cosmetic exercise to win votes.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- merely
- purely
- largely
- …
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- connected with medical treatment that is intended to improve a person’s appearance
- cosmetic surgery
- cosmetic dental work
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- merely
- purely
- largely
- …
Word Originearly 17th cent. (as a noun denoting the art of beautifying the body): from French cosmétique, from Greek kosmētikos, from kosmein ‘arrange or adorn’, from kosmos ‘order or adornment’.
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cosmetic