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 of seemingly

• apparently
• supposedly
• ostensibly
• evidently
• probably
• presumably

Examples of seemingly in a Sentence

a seemingly contented baby who was fast asleep in his crib

Recent Examples on the Web

In this chapter, Luther is secretly called back into service when a new wave of brutal, seemingly random murders hits London. —Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 11 Nov. 2025

Car loans get longer Cars, like seemingly everything else, are getting more expensive. —Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025

But with new uranium mines proposed in New Mexico and transportation routes through the Navajo Nation’s region seemingly inevitable, Antonio has been closely monitoring the actions of tribal leadership, who have noticeably gone quiet on the issue — a troubling sign for critics. —Arlyssa D. Becenti, AZCentral.com, 11 Nov. 2025

The Chinese electric car has become a symbol of the country’s seemingly unstoppable rise on the world stage. —Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 11 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1616, in the meaning defined above