seemingly
Britishadverb
-
in appearance but not necessarily in actuality
with seemingly effortless ease
-
(sentence modifier) apparently; as far as one knows
seemingly, he had few friends left
Explanation
Something seemingly true appears to be true. Use the adverb seemingly when you want to say "on the face of it" or "apparently." The word seemingly refers to how things look on the surface — how they seem — and it often suggests there's more to the story. A seemingly broken ankle might actually be sprained, and a seemingly rich man might actually be deeply in debt. While your dog is seemingly well-behaved, he may be eating the garbage when you're not home. Seemingly means about the same as apparently, ostensibly, or surely.
Vocabulary lists containing seemingly
The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 7
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This Week In Words: August 8–14, 2020
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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.
Microsoft CFO Amy Hood says the company is confident that its investments in artificial intelligence will pay off, seemingly calming some investor concerns about the company’s massive capital spending.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
Now he’s watched the Lakers’ seemingly insurmountable three-games-to-none series lead dwindle to 3-2 after a 99-93 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
The core issue, it explained, seemingly arose while training its models to communicate in the style of particular personalities - in this case with its "nerdy personality".
From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026
Warhol might’ve been different, seemingly unique in his performance of manhood.
From Salon • Apr. 29, 2026
Until two years later, seemingly out of nowhere, an orchid sprouted, a shock of blue in this vast expanse of empty dirt.
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
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.