outwardly

adverb

out·​ward·​ly ˈau̇t-wərd-lē 

1

a

: on the outside : externally

b

: toward the outside

2

: in outward state, behavior, or appearance

was outwardly friendly

Examples of outwardly in a Sentence

The two brothers may be outwardly similar, but their personalities couldn't be more different.

Though extremely nervous, she was able to remain outwardly calm during the interview.

Outwardly, their marriage seemed quite normal.

Recent Examples on the Web

Two school districts in the Phoenix area are using a textbook that outwardly appears identical — but contains divergent lessons on recent history. —Alexandra Hardle, AZCentral.com, 8 Jan. 2026

Meanwhile, many Capitol Hill Republicans have outwardly supported the president and praised the ousting of Maduro. —Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 5 Jan. 2026

And several of them — like the diner on Milwaukee Avenue — had outwardly appeared to be prospering, only to suddenly shut down. —Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 2026

The work’s decadence reminds us that the modern image of the country Franco sought to project outwardly bore no relation to the fascist and conservative dictatorship that his regime imposed internally. —Javier Montes, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

outwardly

adverb

out·​ward·​ly ˈau̇t-wərd-lē 

: on the outside : in outward appearance

outwardly calm