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

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

From Slate • Apr. 20, 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

In its trademark application, filed on Feb. 27, Nike had indicated the intention of using the logo on seemingly all types of athletic apparel, including footwear, headwear, shirts, pants, shorts and jackets.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

The pavilions are scattered in seemingly haphazard fashion, in keeping with Mr. Govan’s conviction that visitors should follow their own curiosity and make their own connections without being subjugated to a hierarchy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

“We should take you to the movies, Ophelia Harrison,” Penelope announced, seemingly out of nowhere.

From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland