Meaning & use
cosmetic damages
Last updated
Meaning
nounplurallegallaw
Money awarded by a court to repair the visible appearance of property that was damaged, even if it still works.
Grammar: Used as a plural noun; takes a plural verb: 'Cosmetic damages are awarded.'
Patterns
- award cosmetic damages
- claim cosmetic damages
- cosmetic damages for something
The court awarded cosmetic damages to repaint the scratched car door.
She claimed cosmetic damages for the cracked tiles in her bathroom.
Cosmetic damages are separate from functional damages in this case.
Common combinations
- award cosmetic damages
- The judge decided to award cosmetic damages for the ugly stain on the wall.
- seek cosmetic damages
- The tenant will seek cosmetic damages to fix the damaged wallpaper.
- cosmetic damages claim
- He filed a cosmetic damages claim after the accident.
- cosmetic damages for property
- The insurance policy covers cosmetic damages for property.
Synonyms and how they differ
- aesthetic damages
- A less common term with the same meaning; 'cosmetic damages' is more standard in legal writing.
- repair costs
- A general term for money to fix something; it does not specify that the damage is only about appearance.
Opposites
Word family
- cosmetic adjective
- Relating to appearance or beauty.
- damages noun
- Money ordered by a court as compensation.
Commonly confused: cosmetic damages or cosmetic?
cosmetic damages vs cosmetic
As a noun, 'cosmetic' means a beauty product; as an adjective, it means relating to appearance. 'Cosmetic damages' is a legal phrase, not about makeup.
Practice
In a legal context, what does 'cosmetic damages' refer to?
Choose one answer.
Cosmetic damages are specifically for fixing the visible appearance of property, not for function or medical treatments. Option 0 would be 'functional damages', option 3 would be 'emotional distress damages'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cosmetic damages”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.