to/by all (outward) appearances
idiom
: it seems : according to what other people see
He was, to/by all (outward) appearances, a happily married man.
Examples of to/by all (outward) appearances in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Directed by Brian Knappenberger, who also helmed Netflix’s Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror, the series combines the veracity and thoroughness of a Frontline installment with the style (and, by all appearances, the budget) of a major documentary release.
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Chris Vognar, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2024
The fern’s leaf remnants were brown and withered — dead, by all appearances (though still attached at their base to the tree fern’s trunk).
—Douglas Main, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2024
With the Harrington closing, Harry’s stopped serving Dec. 3 after 30 years, while another tenant, Ollie’s Trolley, a burger joint that, by all appearances, hasn’t freshened up since opening in 1989, is also shutting down.
—Paul Schwartzman, Washington Post, 11 Dec. 2023
At Andre's 40th birthday party, Hall says by all outward appearances, the McDonalds seemed to be getting along.
—Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 9 Dec. 2023
Stone booked four shows over those two nights but showed up for only one — many hours late, confused and, to all outward appearances, very high.
—Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2023
Analysis of the bones revealed that the majority of the accumulation (over 80 separate specimens) represented a single H. naledi individual whose body was, by all appearances, placed and preserved in a fetal position, raising the possibility of an intentional burial.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 26 June 2023
This is all probably unsurprising to someone like Matt Cartwright, who by all appearances has been taking these dynamics for granted.
—Dustin Guastella, The New Republic, 19 June 2023
Lingering tensions and resentments gradually reveal (but never announce) themselves; at one point, Byung-soo, by all appearances a better filmmaker than father, rushes off to deal with a professional emergency, leaving the two women alone together for hours.
—Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2023
Chris Vognar, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2024
The fern’s leaf remnants were brown and withered — dead, by all appearances (though still attached at their base to the tree fern’s trunk).
—Douglas Main, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2024
With the Harrington closing, Harry’s stopped serving Dec. 3 after 30 years, while another tenant, Ollie’s Trolley, a burger joint that, by all appearances, hasn’t freshened up since opening in 1989, is also shutting down.
—Paul Schwartzman, Washington Post, 11 Dec. 2023
At Andre's 40th birthday party, Hall says by all outward appearances, the McDonalds seemed to be getting along.
—Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 9 Dec. 2023
Stone booked four shows over those two nights but showed up for only one — many hours late, confused and, to all outward appearances, very high.
—Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2023
Analysis of the bones revealed that the majority of the accumulation (over 80 separate specimens) represented a single H. naledi individual whose body was, by all appearances, placed and preserved in a fetal position, raising the possibility of an intentional burial.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 26 June 2023
This is all probably unsurprising to someone like Matt Cartwright, who by all appearances has been taking these dynamics for granted.
—Dustin Guastella, The New Republic, 19 June 2023
Lingering tensions and resentments gradually reveal (but never announce) themselves; at one point, Byung-soo, by all appearances a better filmmaker than father, rushes off to deal with a professional emergency, leaving the two women alone together for hours.
—Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'to/by all (outward) appearances.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Cite this Entry
“To/by all (outward) appearances.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/to%2Fby%20all%20%28outward%29%20appearances. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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