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

Treatments by Biologique Recherche, Dr Burgener, Subtle Energies, and the seemingly definitive Swiss Perfection are all on the menu. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026

Feminism, the fogged lens through which critics have often viewed her work, is seemingly no more urgent to her than food or fashion—or Star Trek, for that matter, which has inspired several drawings and paintings. —Jeremy Lybarger, Artforum, 2 June 2026

Expect the backlash, posing risks of fandom ostracism for any significant animator seemingly endorsing AI, to play out at late June’s Annecy Festival. —John Hopewell, Variety, 1 June 2026

What starts as a seemingly minor disturbance spirals into something far more sinister — triggering migraines, nosebleeds and insomnia. —Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1616, in the meaning defined above