apparently

adverb

ə-ˈper-ənt-lē How to pronounce apparently (audio)
Definition of apparentlynext
as in seemingly
to all outward appearances apparently, the kids didn't know the cake was for the potluck, since they helped themselves to it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of apparently Fixing Loose Tiles With Hot Glue When tile loosens, one apparently clever home DIY is to reapply it with a hot glue gun. — Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 15 Oct. 2026 This is apparently perfectly fine with the US justice system. — Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026 It’s evolutionarily apparently selected in this case, in this particular interaction, to act like that. — Quanta Magazine, 15 Oct. 2026 In a rarity, Sega has pulled a PC game from sales after the title received backlash for apparently using AI, but to sloppy effect. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for apparently
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apparently
  1. seemingly
  2. supposedly
  3. evidently
  4. ostensibly
  5. presumably
  6. probably
  7. likely
Adverb
  • Especially when your polling is no doubt telling you that progressives and anti-capitalists will struggle to trust any billionaire, however seemingly benign.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • For some, the seemingly lax federal regulation and pending litigation around prediction markets raised alarm bells.
    — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of seemingly
Adverb
  • There’s a gleaming hospital and a string of new downtown spots to supplement The Bar, the beloved dive that was supposedly among the inspirations for the Patch Café in the TV series Landman, which is set here.
    — Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Even the ads that are supposedly okay for kids can be overstimulating and aggressive, so try to be vigilant on those, too.
    — Emily Palmer Heller, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of supposedly
Adverb
  • And that, evidently, made all the difference for him in the bedroom.
    — Bob Brody, Chicago Tribune, 13 Oct. 2026
  • And once Popovic was on the floor, Auriemma evidently did not want to sit her down.
    — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of evidently
Adverb
  • The district judge confined Biddy and most of the Black children in the county jail, ostensibly for their own protection from their unscrupulous enslaver.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The demonstrators are demanding the resignation of India’s chief election commissioner and questioning the credibility of India’s ostensibly independent institutions.
    — Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of ostensibly
Adverb
  • As of now, Game 6 would (presumably) take place at the much smaller Gateway Center Arena.
    — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • According to Vogue, on display in the sunroom (presumably where Dietrich is pictured here) was a piece called Zebra and Black Panther With Cacti, signed by the artist Charles Baskerville.
    — Juliana Ukiomogbe, Architectural Digest, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of presumably
Adverb
  • After all, Jonathan, who was probably alive for President Andrew Jackson's second inauguration in 1833, is still thriving.
    — KYLE MELNICK THE WASHINGTON POST, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
  • But being an editor probably makes writing first drafts harder, or at least slower.
    — Lola Seaton, The New York Review of Books, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of probably
Adverb
  • Unwinding the administration’s investments would prove legally and politically difficult — but Democrats likely won’t want to, at least not right away.
    — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Global energy markets are likely more than a year away from returning to normal, the head of the International Energy Agency warned on Tuesday.
    — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of likely

Browse Nearby Words

apparent
apparently
apparentness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Apparently.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apparently. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of vocation

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All