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

Uncompensated seizure under the land-expropriation law can only be pursued under narrow circumstances—when land is unused or has been abandoned, for example—and the program seemingly has yet to seize any property. —Boyce Upholt, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026

It’s meant to be like soda — kind of empty pop calories — to lull you into the seemingly anodyne sounds of the Saja Boys. —Charlie Harding, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026

Yet the play’s secret is managing to confront the issue head-on while also offering a life-affirming alternative in the form of a constantly growing list of seemingly trivial things that make every day worth savoring. —Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Mar. 2026

Trump’s decision to hold out on endorsement in the Texas Senate race has seemingly added another wrinkle to Cornyn’s reelection campaign. —Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1616, in the meaning defined above