seemingly

adverb

seem·​ing·​ly ˈsē-miŋ-lē 

: outwardly or apparently

—used to indicate how something appears or seems

a seemingly simple problem [=a problem that seems simple]

a seemingly endless project [=a project that seems to have no end]

The balance of nature—an ideal state in which every species is in its right place—is seemingly being upended.

—Bryan Walsh

These were years in which seemingly every city authority from Adelaide to Oslo had set its heart on the construction of an unsurpassably iconic building …

—Ellis Woodman

Then, in 1929, taste arbiter Emily Post sanctioned a seemingly irreversible shift in manners: "No rule of etiquette is of less importance than which fork we use."

—Douglas Brenner

Dumbledore had most of the remaining Death Eaters grouped in the middle of the room, seemingly immobilized by invisible ropes.

—J. K. Rowling

Synonyms

• apparently
• evidently
• ostensibly
• ostensively
• presumably
• putatively
• supposedly

Examples of seemingly in a Sentence

a seemingly contented baby who was fast asleep in his crib

Recent Examples on the Web

Meanwhile, powerful thunderstorms have popped up seemingly every day this week across parts of Texas, and that will be the case again on Saturday. —Jon Haworth, ABC News, 4 May 2024

In the more-than-two-minute video, Driver’s Cesar Catilina makes his way onto the edge of a skyscraper, seemingly considering jumping. —Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 May 2024

Despite the assurances, a seemingly growing pocket of influencers and content creators online, particularly TikTok, have taken to boasting about drinking raw milk, touting supposed benefits and sowing seeds of skepticism as to the safety of pasteurization. —Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 3 May 2024

The wound then healed, seemingly without any infection. —Bill Chappell, NPR, 3 May 2024

There's nothing wrong with aging, but my lines—from my seemingly uncontrollable ability to furrow my eyebrows—bother me. —Medea Giordano, WIRED, 3 May 2024

The goal is to seemingly drop the viewer directly into the conversation itself. —Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2024

The reptile also touches the ground several times as the driver of the vehicle, seemingly unaware of the snake hanging from their car, speeds on. —Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 3 May 2024

Samsung seemingly confirmed a new premium model would join the Galaxy Watch 7 in its first quarter earning results of the year. —Florence Ion / Gizmodo, Quartz, 2 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1616, in the meaning defined above