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

---

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 US president has been commenting on the conflict almost in real time in seemingly off-the-cuff exchanges with reporters, including from AFP, who call his cell phone.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

A sign at another booth seemingly encouraged the growers to try growing anything else.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

Perrin’s footage shows the basket of the hot air balloon packed with 13 passengers, all seemingly in good spirits despite the unexpected detour.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2026

The Queen of Pop joined Carpenter on stage for a duet of Vogue, Like A Prayer and a song seemingly from Madonna's new album.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

Until two years later, seemingly out of nowhere, an orchid sprouted, a shock of blue in this vast expanse of empty dirt.

From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller