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Synonyms

semblance

American  
[sem-bluhns] / ˈsɛm bləns /

noun

  1. outward aspect or appearance.

    Synonyms:
    air, mien, exterior, aspect

  2. an assumed or unreal appearance; show.

    Synonyms:
    seeming

  3. the slightest appearance or trace.

  4. a likeness, image, or copy.

  5. a spectral appearance; apparition.

semblance British  
/ ˈsɛmbləns /

noun

  1. outward appearance, esp without any inner substance or reality

  2. a resemblance or copy

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of semblance

1250–1300; Middle English < Middle French, equivalent to sembl ( er ) to seem ( resemble ) + -ance -ance

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.

Called Queen by her neighbors, Judit struggles to support her family and find some semblance of happiness in Bäck, a rural Swedish village.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

"The best-case scenario is to end this conflict as quickly as possible and restore some semblance of stability."

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

Operation Epic Fury shares DNA with a lineage of similarly buzzy code names throughout military history, but generally speaking, they typically maintained some semblance of consultant-speak restraint.

From Slate • Mar. 6, 2026

When I asked the Vermont Independent what could be done to return to some semblance of normalcy, he seemed testy, waved his hands and said, “We’re doing the best we can.”

From Salon • Feb. 13, 2026

But by some old, standing arrangement with her psyche, she elected to feel guilty for having seen it, caught it, and sentenced herself to listen to Lane’s ensuing conversation with a special semblance of absorption.

From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger

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.