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on the surface

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Superficially, to all outward appearances, as in On the surface he appeared brave and patriotic, but his troops knew better. [Early 1700s]

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Words nearby on the surface

on-the-spot, on the spur of the moment, on the square, on the street, on the strength of, on the surface, on the table, on the take, on the tip of one's tongue, on the town, on the up-and-up
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Words related to on the surface

peripheral, shallow, sketchy, warped, apparent, noticeable, cursory, frivolous, one-dimensional, perfunctory, silly, slight, trivial, evidently, officially, seemingly, supposedly, superficially, outwardly, externally

How to use on the surface in a sentence

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