semblance

noun

sem·​blance ˈsem-blən(t)s 

1

a

: outward and often specious appearance or show : form

wrapped in a semblance of composure

—Harry Hervey

b

: modicum

has been struggling to get some semblance of justice for his people

—Bayard Rustin

2

: aspect, countenance

3

a

: a phantasmal form : apparition

b

: image, likeness

4

: actual or apparent resemblance

her story bears some semblance to the truth

Synonyms

• act
• airs
• charade
• disguise
• facade
• façade
• front
• guise
• masquerade
• playacting
• pose
• pretense
• pretence
• put-on
• show

Examples of semblance in a Sentence

tried to project some semblance of confidence even though public speaking terrified her

a used-car dealer with only a semblance of honesty

Recent Examples on the Web

It’s always been just us my entire life; no real semblance of blood family has been in the picture. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 Apr. 2025

When spring arrives, flowering trees in Front Range parks erupt with white and pink blossoms, a gorgeous sight that can offer a semblance of consolation for frustrated weekend tennis players enduring long waits for free courts. —John Meyer, Denver Post, 22 Apr. 2025

The government is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process. —ABC News, 20 Apr. 2025

There were militarized zones that reasserted a semblance of order through repression as well as cults of personality organized around a leader’s ability to provide a sense of purpose. —Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English semblance, semblaunce "outward appearance, mere appearance, show, facial expression, likeness," borrowed from Anglo-French, "likeness, form, demeanor, resemblance," from sembler "to resemble, seem, appear" (going back to Latin simulāre, similāre "to pretend, assume the appearance of by one's conduct, imitate") + -ance, -aunce -ance — more at simulate

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for semblance

• resemblance

Kids Definition

semblance

noun

sem·​blance ˈsem-blən(t)s 

1

: outward and often misleading appearance or show

2

: one that resembles another : likeness, image