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

More than one week later, Swift seemingly got a hold of Lilah's video, and the musician made a $100,000 donation on GoFundMe. —Ilana Kaplan, PEOPLE, 23 Dec. 2025

Particular scrutiny was given to Brown’s security cameras, which seemingly failed to capture actionable images of the suspect. —Dakin Andone, CNN Money, 23 Dec. 2025

The effort, which remains in limbo, is a warning that even seemingly benign proposals have political consequences that one or both sides might oppose. —Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 23 Dec. 2025

Harbaugh needed an escape hatch, and go back to the NFL was seemingly his exit. —Miami Herald, 23 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1616, in the meaning defined above