noun
-
outward appearance, esp without any inner substance or reality
-
a resemblance or copy
Etymology
Origin of semblance
1250–1300; Middle English < Middle French, equivalent to sembl ( er ) to seem ( see resemble) + -ance -ance
Explanation
Semblance is all about illusion. Cramming all of your dirty clothes into the closet gives the semblance, or false appearance, that you've done your laundry — but the stench might give you away. Semblance comes from the 14th-century French word for "resemble," and it is a noun for things that look one way on the outside but are very different on the inside. A popular combination is to say that a person or place has the "semblance of order," when, underneath, everything is out of control.
Vocabulary lists containing semblance
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Its 2018 Semblance debut was the first African-developed game to launch on a Nintendo console.
From BBC • Feb. 9, 2026
A newcomer, Semblance — a sparkler made with chardonnay grapes harvested from California vineyards in coastal areas — is dry, lightly fruity and pleasant on its own or to savor with a meal.
From New York Times • Sep. 13, 2021
Semblance Zero Alcohol Sparkling Wine, $30 for 750 milliliters, semblance.com.
From New York Times • Sep. 13, 2021
In Semblance, you control an unnamed little blob creature who is trying to fight off a strange infection that has afflicted its forest home.
From The Verge • Sep. 16, 2018
It is properly the third and final act of Protestantism; the explosive confused return of mankind to Reality and Fact, now that they were perishing of Semblance and Sham.
From On Heroes and Hero Worship and the Heroic in History by Carlyle, Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
