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
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Romeo and Juliet
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The Pearl
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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.
While any semblance of normal life has been shattered for some, it is tentatively resuming for others.
From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026
Elsewhere, a megaphone-wielding leader herded dozens of black cats in the style of artist Gary Baseman into some semblance of order.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2026
“It’s an agreement to return to some semblance of normalcy. We are still in a world of uncertainty. In other words, we are not sure what’s going to happen in 60 days.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 18, 2026
“If every square inch of the land is developed,” Mr. Moore writes, “there will be no future for any of the species whose biology requires a semblance of wild land.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
“The Night’s Watch takes no part in the wars of the Seven Kingdoms,” Jon reminded them when some semblance of quiet had returned.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
