superficial
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.
Origin of superficial
1Other words from superficial
- su·per·fi·ci·al·i·ty [soo-per-fish-ee-al-i-tee], /ˌsu pərˌfɪʃ iˈæl ɪ ti/, su·per·fi·cial·ness, noun
- su·per·fi·cial·ly, adverb
- qua·si-su·per·fi·cial, adjective
- qua·si-su·per·fi·cial·ly, adverb
- sub·su·per·fi·cial, adjective
- sub·su·per·fi·cial·ly, adverb
- sub·su·per·fi·cial·ness, noun
- un·su·per·fi·cial, adjective
- un·su·per·fi·cial·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use superficial in a sentence
The deputy was treated at a hospital for a back injury and superficial wounds to his arms that he suffered as he tried to protect himself, Popkin said.
Video shows fatal shooting of man by Montgomery County sheriff’s deputy | Ian Duncan, Dan Morse | February 8, 2021 | Washington PostFramed, like many of the most exploitative reality-TV shows, as a social experiment, this disappointingly superficial documentary sends three strivers culled from the mass of wannabes on a quest to become successful Instagram influencers.
What HBO’s Fake Famous Doesn’t Understand About Young People and Influencer Culture | Judy Berman | February 4, 2021 | TimeThe media is nonstop sex and superficial images of self and material things.
Good kids sometimes lie to their parents. Shame and harsh punishments will only push them away. | Meghan Leahy | January 20, 2021 | Washington PostHoward added that the pandemic has made him realize that while living with roommates made sense financially, roommate relationships can be “superficial” and regulating what happens in your shared home is difficult.
‘Let’s survive a pandemic together’: Roommates are struggling with realities of sharing space 24/7 | Kayleigh Barber | January 15, 2021 | DigidayScience supposedly took a hiatus between the demise of Rome and the rise of Copernican astronomy and Galileo’s physics, some superficial accounts suggest.
‘The Light Ages’ illuminates the science of the so-called Dark Ages | Tom Siegfried | January 8, 2021 | Science News
Instead, it was superficially crass and, in turn, barely provocative.
The Biggest Bombs of 2014: ‘Sex Tape,’ Mariah Carey’s Vocals, ‘How I Met Your Mother’ and More | Kevin Fallon | December 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTID is only superficially supportive of Christian belief, a point I made in the debate.
My Debate With an ‘Intelligent Design’ Theorist | Karl W. Giberson | April 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTEnds: When your boss sends out a superficially friendly email reminding everyone to stay safe on the way to the office tomorrow.
So You Are Enduring a Temporarily Paralyzing Winter Storm | Kelly Williams Brown | February 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWith its generous quota of automatic weapons and breaking glass, Die Hard 2 is superficially like a zillion other action movies.
Seriously, ‘Die Hard’ Was a Novel Before It Was a Movie and a Good One | Malcolm Jones | December 22, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThey are not superficially Jewish, the way that much of the Jersey Shore gang was superficially Italian-American.
Is Bravo’s Jewish Princesses Long Island the Most Offensive TV Show Ever? | Andrew Romano | July 22, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTWhatever we had to say must, in the circumstances, however serious, be kept superficially unimportant.
Mrs. Falchion, Complete | Gilbert ParkerYou may buy all that superficially makes a woman, but you can't buy that your lover wants; for he wants life, and you are dead.
Catherine de' Medici | Honore de BalzacSuperficially considered, all this seems clever reasoning; but it is in fact a stupendous fallacy.
Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 3 of 8 | VariousSuperficially, the neat rows of houses looked the same as in any other town.
The Status Civilization | Robert SheckleySuperficially the task of staging The Beggars Opera was one of supreme ease.
The Beggar's Opera | John Gay
British Dictionary definitions for superficial
/ (ˌsuːpəˈfɪʃəl) /
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
Origin of superficial
1Derived forms of superficial
- superficiality (ˌsuːpəˌfɪʃɪˈælɪtɪ) or rare superficialness, noun
- superficially, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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