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

But seemingly by sheer willpower, Meredith holds out her hand, which sends the liquid back in the opposite direction toward Britani. —Tom Smyth, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025

To further enrage Predator purists, Thia and Dek adopt a cuddly little monkey-ish creature as their companion, a CGI bit of whimsy seemingly borrowed from Pixar. —Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 4 Nov. 2025

The Jets finally earned their first win of the season in Week 8 after a wild comeback against the Cincinnati Bengals, but with their 1-7 record and seemingly no future in sight, new general manager Darren Mougey has opted to ship his star corner. —Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 4 Nov. 2025

Fixed with a seemingly permanent half-smile — detractors called it a smirk — Cheney joked about his outsize reputation as a stealthy manipulator. —Calvin Woodward, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1616, in the meaning defined above