seemingly
Britishadverb
-
in appearance but not necessarily in actuality
with seemingly effortless ease
-
(sentence modifier) apparently; as far as one knows
seemingly, he had few friends left
Explanation
Something seemingly true appears to be true. Use the adverb seemingly when you want to say "on the face of it" or "apparently." The word seemingly refers to how things look on the surface — how they seem — and it often suggests there's more to the story. A seemingly broken ankle might actually be sprained, and a seemingly rich man might actually be deeply in debt. While your dog is seemingly well-behaved, he may be eating the garbage when you're not home. Seemingly means about the same as apparently, ostensibly, or surely.
Vocabulary lists containing seemingly
The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 7
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This Week In Words: August 8–14, 2020
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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.
Last week, Oracle’s management team seemingly calmed Wall Street’s nerves with its discussion of the financing that could be expected in the future.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026
Its rocky and icy features resemble a grinning skull seen from the side, seemingly gazing toward nearby Devil Island.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026
Bradley Barcola delivered a cross into the Arsenal penalty area, with Liverpool striker Alexander Isak seemingly ready to nod home an equaliser.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
Yet, younger and younger seemingly healthy people are reporting flare-ups.
From Slate ● Nov. 1, 2026
Then the iron gates shudder and unlock, seemingly by their own volition.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
