superficial
Americanadjective
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being at, on, or near the surface.
a superficial wound.
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of or relating to the surface.
superficial measurement.
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external or outward.
a superficial resemblance.
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concerned with or comprehending only what is on the surface or obvious.
a superficial observer.
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shallow; not profound or thorough.
a superficial writer.
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apparent rather than real.
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insubstantial or insignificant.
superficial improvements.
adjective
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of, relating to, being near, or forming the surface
superficial bruising
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displaying a lack of thoroughness or care
a superficial inspection
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only outwardly apparent rather than genuine or actual
the similarity was merely superficial
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of little substance or significance; trivial
superficial differences
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lacking originality or profundity
the film's plot was quite superficial
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(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.
“They’re modern and adapting and moving forward. It’s not about superficial appearances or stereotypes, and it’s not about living in the past —it’s about honoring that past by building a future. . . .”
From Literature
But in retrospect, my relationship with that ring was superficial.
But “Alpha” rarely transcends its intellectual trappings or superficial themes.
From Los Angeles Times
"Even if it becomes easier to build a superficial app, it's enormously expensive to get that app in front of people. Established apps still have a huge market advantage."
From BBC
Connections can seem superficial in large groups, but it really depends on how you define closeness.
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.
