skin-deep

American  

[skin-deep] / ˈskɪnˈdip /

adjective

1. superficial or slight; not profound or substantial.

   Their sincerity is only skin-deep.

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adverb

1. slightly; superficially.

   He went into the subject only skin-deep.

skin-deep British  

adjective

1. superficial; shallow

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adverb

1. superficially

skin deep Idioms  

1. see beauty is only skin deep.

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Etymology

Origin of skin-deep

First recorded in 1605–15

Example Sentences

Dawn is as skin-deep as it gets, a character with no discernible motives and a frustrating absence of realism in a film that’s desperately aiming for authenticity.

From Salon

More central than the gross-out factor is a wry statement of disability pride, a reminder that swagger needn’t be skin-deep.

From Los Angeles Times

The story may be only skin-deep, but Banks and Pullman find something truthfully hopeless in these surface pleasures.”

From Los Angeles Times

But the most spirited discussions at Cannes are over whether the movie is trenchant or skin-deep.

From New York Times

Studies exploring skin-deep resilience have found evidence of a health toll in outwardly resilient young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds, including higher risk of inflammation, immune cell aging, metabolic disorders, and chronic disease.

From Science Daily