superficial

[soo-per-fish-uhl]

adjective

1. being at, on, or near the surface.

   a superficial wound.

2. of or relating to the surface.

   superficial measurement.

3. external or outward.

   a superficial resemblance.

4. concerned with or comprehending only what is on the surface or obvious.

   a superficial observer.

5. shallow; not profound or thorough.

   a superficial writer.

6. apparent rather than real.

7. insubstantial or insignificant.

   superficial improvements.

superficial

/ ˌsuːpəˈfɪʃəl, ˌsuːpəˌfɪʃɪˈælɪtɪ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, being near, or forming the surface

   superficial bruising

2. displaying a lack of thoroughness or care

   a superficial inspection

3. only outwardly apparent rather than genuine or actual

   the similarity was merely superficial

4. of little substance or significance; trivial

   superficial differences

5. lacking originality or profundity

   the film's plot was quite superficial

6. (of measurements) involving only the surface area

Other Word Forms

• superficiality noun
• superficialness noun
• superficially adverb
• quasi-superficial adjective
• quasi-superficially adverb
• subsuperficial adjective
• subsuperficially adverb
• subsuperficialness noun
• unsuperficial adjective
• unsuperficially adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of superficial¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English superfyciall, from Late Latin superficiālis, equivalent to Latin superfici(ēs) superficies + -ālis -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of superficial¹

C14: from Late Latin superficiālis of the surface, from Latin _superficies

Example Sentences

"Since social media has taken over, it's a very superficial way of understanding a place… You just see a picture, and then you go."

From BBC

Speaking to a group of journalists, Pezeshkian accused foreign powers of seeking a superficial pretext to set the region ablaze, insisting that, despite previous threats, Iran would not quit the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

From BBC

The British Dental Association Cymru acknowledged "some important wins" but said "plastering over a few of the biggest cracks is just superficial repairs" and the true cost of care was not reflected.

From BBC

“He’s very sad about what happened ... He ended up with a lot of superficial injuries and I think she probably did too,” Dugan said.

From Los Angeles Times

However, the commission stressed these visits were not considered to be inspections - and one parent of a patient at the facility described them as "superficial".

From BBC

Related Words

• cursory 
• frivolous 
• one-dimensional 
• perfunctory 
• silly 
• sketchy 
• slight 
• trivial 

When To Use

What does superficial mean?

Superficial describes something as being of or related to the surface, as a scratch on your arm would be a superficial wound.Superficial can describe something that is literally close to a surface, such as a small cut, or figuratively close to the surface. When you and your sibling have the same nose shape and same eye color but don’t otherwise look like each other, you superficially look like each other. The sameness doesn’t go very far.Example: This article is very superficial, barely sharing any details about the event.