appearance

[ uh-peer-uhns ]

/ əˈpɪər əns /

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See synonyms for: appearance / appearances on Thesaurus.com

noun

the act or fact of appearing, as to the eye or mind or before the public: the unannounced appearance of dinner guests; the last appearance of Caruso in Aïda; her first appearance at a stockholders' meeting.

the state, condition, manner, or style in which a person or object appears; outward look or aspect: a table of antique appearance; a man of noble appearance.

outward show or seeming; semblance: to avoid the appearance of coveting an honor.

Law. the coming into court of either party to a suit or action.

appearances, outward impressions, indications, or circumstances: By all appearances, he enjoyed himself.

Philosophy. the sensory, or phenomenal, aspect of existence to an observer.

Archaic. an apparition.

OTHER WORDS FOR appearance

1 arrival, coming, advent.

2 demeanor, presence.

3 face, pretense.

See synonyms for appearance on Thesaurus.com

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Idioms about appearance

keep up appearances, to maintain a public impression of decorum, prosperity, etc., despite reverses, unfavorable conditions, etc.: They tried to keep up appearances after losing all their money.

make an appearance, to come; arrive: He didn't make an appearance until after midnight.

put in an appearance, to attend a gathering or meeting, especially for a very short time: The author put in an appearance at the cocktail party on her way to dinner.

Origin of appearance

1350–1400; appear + -ance; replacing Middle English aparance<Anglo-French, Old French <Late Latin appārentia, neuter plural of Latin appārēnsapparent

synonym study for appearance

2. Appearance, aspect, guise refer to the way in which something outwardly presents itself to view. Appearance refers to the outward look: the shabby appearance of his car. Aspect refers to the appearance at some particular time or in special circumstances; it often has emotional implications, either ascribed to the object itself or felt by the beholder: In the dusk the forest had a terrifying aspect. Guise suggests a misleading appearance, assumed for an occasion or a purpose: under the guise of friendship.

OTHER WORDS FROM appearance

pre·ap·pear·ance, nounre·ap·pear·ance, nounsub·ap·pear·ance, noun

Words nearby appearance

appd., appeal, appealing, appeal play, appear, appearance, appearance money, appear as, appease, appeasement, appel

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use appearance in a sentence

Recently, Google has been testing a new dark theme appearance in the search results.
Google goes dark theme and passage ranking sees the light: Friday’s daily brief|Barry Schwartz|February 12, 2021|Search Engine Land
For instance, on a high-end console or PC, the models can start with one of 30 stock styles that render individual strands of hair in real-time for a super-realistic appearance.
Meet the eerily realistic digital people made with Epic’s MetaHuman Creator|Stan Horaczek|February 11, 2021|Popular-Science
If you are in this beta and you have access to the new appearance controls in Google Search, you will have an option in search settings to toggle on or off dark theme.
Google Search dark theme mode expands but search ads are hard to distinguish|Barry Schwartz|February 11, 2021|Search Engine Land
Cheerleaders are paid for attending practices and making appearances on the team’s behalf during the offseason.
Former cheerleaders settle with Washington Football Team as program’s future is in doubt|Beth Reinhard|February 10, 2021|Washington Post

The highlight was an appearance and brief remarks from Miami Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra, whose mother is Filipino.
Asian Coaches Association advocates for ‘minority of minorities’ in college basketball|Gene Wang|February 9, 2021|Washington Post
He knew that a public appearance with Duke could be disastrous.
The Price of Steve Scalise’s Silence|Jason Berry|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In his brief appearance today, Scalise never mentioned Duke.
The Price of Steve Scalise’s Silence|Jason Berry|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The healthier appearance and civilian clothing are very peculiar.
ISIS’s Futile Quest to Go Legit|Jamie Dettmer|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The majority of these stories are making their first appearance online.
The Best of The Stacks: Mencken, Mel Brooks, Allman Brothers, and More|Alex Belth|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
An appearance in even a third-tier bowl is worth a couple million dollars.
Is Any College Football Coach Worth $60 Million? Jim Harbaugh Is|Jesse Lawrence|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I was rather awed by his imposing appearance, and advanced timidly to the doors, which were of glass, and pulled the bell.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
And once more, she found herself desiring to be like Janet--not only in appearance, but in soft manner and tone.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
Where the dampness is excessive the fronds take on an unhealthy appearance, and mould may appear.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
Keep closely covered with a bell glass and, in a few weeks, more or less, the baby Ferns will start to put in an appearance.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
This gave the house a very cheerful appearance, as if it were constantly on a broad grin.
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl

British Dictionary definitions for appearance

appearance

/ (əˈpɪərəns) /

noun

the act or an instance of appearing, as to the eye, before the public, etc

the outward or visible aspect of a person or thingher appearance was stunning; it has the appearance of powdered graphite

an outward show; pretencehe gave an appearance of working hard

(often plural) one of the outward signs or indications by which a person or thing is assessedfirst appearances are deceptive

law

the formal attendance in court of a party in an action
formal notice that a party or his legal representative intends to maintain or contest the issueto enter an appearance

philosophy

the outward or phenomenal manifestation of things
the world as revealed by the senses, as opposed to its real natureCompare reality (def. 4)

keep up appearances to maintain the public impression of wellbeing or normality

put in an appearance or make an appearance to come or attend briefly, as out of politeness

to all appearances to the extent that can easily be judged; apparently

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with appearance

appearance

see keep up appearances; put in an appearance.

appearance

OTHER WORDS FOR appearance

Idioms about appearance

Origin of appearance

synonym study for appearance

OTHER WORDS FROM appearance

Words nearby appearance

Words related to appearance

How to use appearance in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for appearance

Other Idioms and Phrases with appearance