superficial
Americanadjective
-
being at, on, or near the surface.
a superficial wound.
-
of or relating to the surface.
superficial measurement.
-
external or outward.
a superficial resemblance.
-
concerned with or comprehending only what is on the surface or obvious.
a superficial observer.
-
shallow; not profound or thorough.
a superficial writer.
-
apparent rather than real.
-
insubstantial or insignificant.
superficial improvements.
adjective
-
of, relating to, being near, or forming the surface
superficial bruising
-
displaying a lack of thoroughness or care
a superficial inspection
-
only outwardly apparent rather than genuine or actual
the similarity was merely superficial
-
of little substance or significance; trivial
superficial differences
-
lacking originality or profundity
the film's plot was quite superficial
-
(of measurements) involving only the surface area
Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
- quasi-superficial adjective
- quasi-superficially adverb
- subsuperficial adjective
- subsuperficially adverb
- subsuperficialness noun
- superficiality noun
- superficially adverb
- superficialness noun
- unsuperficial adjective
- unsuperficially adverb
Etymology
Origin of superficial
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English superfyciall, from Late Latin superficiālis, equivalent to Latin superfici(ēs) superficies + -ālis -al 1
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.
The cars are clearly different in some ways from previous years, but they still look and sound recognisably like F1 cars on a superficial level.
From BBC
Another criticism of the celebrity citizenship trend is that it will be superficial and fleeting - the stars will collect their certificates, publish a few social media posts, then go quiet.
From BBC
He was a favorite of Lorenzo de’ Medici, and his paintings have a superficial resemblance both to those of his teacher, Botticelli, and those of his father, Fra Filippo Lippi.
Some have dismissed the tour as a superficial gimmick - with the streams only benefitting himself.
From BBC
However, many children's rights advocates say that regular checks seldom happen and even if they do, they're conducted in a superficial manner.
From BBC
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.
