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.
The poster and key image from the film is a smiling snapshot of Mihai and Lisbet with their children, a seemingly happy family.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
Hassan is not the only Syrian regime official whose connection to the Tice case has seemingly afforded him financial payments or assistance for living abroad.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
In one seemingly brazen text message that emerged at trial, “Uncle” Diamantis informed Duffy: “I always usually work at 5% of total just fyi.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
“I think it’s a risky proposition for Starbucks, given that they are in the middle of a turnaround effort that is seemingly going well,” Seaport Research analyst Eric Gonzalez said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
Then, seemingly from out of the shadows, a thin man in a tuxedo appears at our table.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
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.
