Meaning & use
cosmetic damage
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
Harm that spoils the look of something, such as a scratch or dent, but does not stop it from working.
Grammar: Uncountable: there is some cosmetic damage, not a cosmetic damage.
Patterns
- cosmetic damage to something
The laptop has some cosmetic damage on the lid, but it runs perfectly.
The car suffered only cosmetic damage in the parking lot collision.
Scratches on the back of the phone count as cosmetic damage, not a fault.
noununcountablebusiness
In warranties and insurance, a category of damage to the surface or appearance of a product that is usually excluded from coverage.
Grammar: Often appears in the phrase 'does not cover cosmetic damage'.
Patterns
- not cover cosmetic damage
The warranty excludes cosmetic damage such as chips and scratches.
The insurer refused the claim because it considered the dent cosmetic damage.
Before shipping, we photographed the sofa to prove the cosmetic damage was not our fault.
Common combinations
- minor cosmetic damage
- The refurbished tablet has minor cosmetic damage around the edges.
- suffer cosmetic damage
- The statue suffered cosmetic damage during the move.
- repair cosmetic damage
- It costs more to repair cosmetic damage than it is worth.
- cover cosmetic damage
- Our policy does not cover cosmetic damage.
- cosmetic damage only
- The inspector reported cosmetic damage only, so the building is safe.
Synonyms and how they differ
- surface damage
- Surface damage describes where the harm is, while cosmetic damage also stresses that function is unaffected.
- superficial damage
- Superficial damage is a broader and more formal phrase that can describe non-physical harm, too.
- blemish
- A blemish is a single mark or flaw, whereas cosmetic damage names the general kind of harm.
Opposites
Word family
- cosmetic adjective
- affecting appearance only
- cosmetically adverb
- in a way that affects looks
- damage verb
- to harm something
- damaged adjective
- harmed or spoiled
Commonly confused: cosmetic damage or structural damage?
cosmetic damage vs structural damage
Structural damage affects how strong or safe something is, while cosmetic damage affects only how it looks.
Practice
The seller said the dent in the fridge door was only ______ because the fridge still cooled perfectly.
Choose one answer.
Cosmetic damage spoils the look but not the function, which matches a fridge that still works. Structural damage would mean the item's strength or workings were affected.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cosmetic damage”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.