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

Anguished and alone, Nick is similarly cast away, seemingly cursed to spend the rest of his days forsaken in his hometown, now a foreign land.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2026

Once seen as a U.S. wunderkind for his pedigree and his obvious talent, his career between the two World Cups had seemingly stalled.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026

Second, as the polls also anticipated, Burnham seemingly benefited from a squeeze on the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens.

From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026

Dell is benefiting from seemingly insatiable demand for equipment needed to power AI.

From Barron's • Jun. 19, 2026

At five o’clock I looked in on him, and found him seemingly as happy and contented as he used to be.

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker