seemingly

British  

/ ˈsiːmɪŋlɪ /

adverb

1. in appearance but not necessarily in actuality

   with seemingly effortless ease

2. (sentence modifier) apparently; as far as one knows

   seemingly, he had few friends left

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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.

Example Sentences

The Dodgers have seemingly managed to perfect every aspect of running a baseball juggernaut.

From Los Angeles Times • May 30, 2026

In an age of seemingly nonstop spam, that act of rebellion can feel deeply satisfying, like heckling a telemarketer who interrupted dinner.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

That shock, and the lasting annoyance it caused among consumers, helps explain why consumer sentiment is seemingly out of line with what traditional economic indicators would predict.

From Barron's • May 27, 2026

This year's WSL newcomers are not your average club - an independent outfit, backed by seemingly unlimited funds from Kang and a desire to grow a women's football team from scratch.

From BBC • May 26, 2026

The question Vergil asks himself over and over again is: ‘Who invented…?’; and he runs through a seemingly endless chain of topics, such as language, music, metallurgy, geometry.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton