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

Bless Heidi, Winnie, and Nina for seemingly banding together to get Bobby voted out, and with Bobby gone, that leaves Anna as the only woman in the competition. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2026

Villa sources were thrilled for a teenager who had become a hugely popular figure around the club and seemingly now among supporters. — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026

While the child and her mother play in the sand, the father tackles the seemingly impossible task of setting up a tent to provide shelter. — Matilda Hague, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026

Bass points to Arnold Schwarzenegger at the peak of his bodybuilding career as an example of an exceptionally fit individual who would have had a seemingly problematic BMI. — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1616, in the meaning defined above