noun
-
outward appearance, esp without any inner substance or reality
-
a resemblance or copy
Etymology
Origin of semblance
1250–1300; Middle English < Middle French, equivalent to sembl ( er ) to seem ( see resemble) + -ance -ance
Explanation
Semblance is all about illusion. Cramming all of your dirty clothes into the closet gives the semblance, or false appearance, that you've done your laundry — but the stench might give you away. Semblance comes from the 14th-century French word for "resemble," and it is a noun for things that look one way on the outside but are very different on the inside. A popular combination is to say that a person or place has the "semblance of order," when, underneath, everything is out of control.
Vocabulary lists containing semblance
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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.
For all their semblance of careful formulation, Berry’s essays are not always closely argued—a consequence, perhaps, of his tendency to engage most fully with thinkers unlikely to challenge his views.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Cruise’s character is an intentional parallel to his own cinema-championing schtick, an actor who believes every scene he’s in should carry some semblance of the truth.
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026
Bill Essayli said he hoped the sentence “gives some semblance of healing and closure to this defendant’s victims.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
One of the biggest surprises was the casting of his son Indiana in his first film role, with the 22-year-old bearing more than a passing semblance to superstar Timothee Chalamet.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
They’d sat in silence until some semblance of reality returned, and then left without a word, not waiting for Chaol to thank them.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
