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.
At Ren's Beihai flat, Huanle danced around to imaginary music, seemingly carefree.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
The sweetness, the warmth, the intimacy in a seemingly tossed-off phrase—her songs could be 2½-minute novels, they could be love notes left on a kitchen table, they could be secrets whispered into your ear.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
With Savinho gone and Omar Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez seemingly on their way out, there will be gaps in the squad which will need addressing.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Kasten is a busy man, and there’s seemingly no way he holds even an impromptu meeting with reporters about a possible sale if that “period” wasn’t a “question mark.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
“This map,” explained Grace, “is more like a riddle. A seemingly easy yet remarkably complex puzzle.”
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
Definitions 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.
