outwardly

American  

[out-werd-lee] / ˈaʊt wərd li /

adverb

1. as regards appearance or outward manifestation.

   outwardly charming; outwardly considerate.

2. on the outside or outer surface; externally.

   Outwardly, the fruit was rough to the touch.

3. toward the outside.

   The pier stretched outwardly from the shore.

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outwardly British  

/ ˈaʊtwədlɪ /

adverb

1. in outward appearance

2. with reference to the outside or outer surface; externally

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Etymology

Origin of outwardly

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; outward, -ly

Example Sentences

And what better way to do that than to defy all subtext by making it as outwardly straight as humanly possible?

From Salon

This week's developments are particularly hard to read because outwardly they point in different directions.

From BBC

While outwardly glamorous, working at a luxury store can be cutthroat.

From The Wall Street Journal

There seems little outwardly wrong with the company’s performance.

From Barron's

At first his projects were fairly well-behaved and faithful, at least outwardly, to the Modernist principles he had learned at USC: flat roofs, restrained geometry.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• seemingly
• superficially