1
as in superficial
lying on or affecting only the outer layer of something
fortunately, the cut was only skin-deep
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shallow
having or showing a lack of depth of understanding or character
the book provides some interesting anecdotes but only offers a skin-deep analysis of the events it chronicles
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of skin-deep
Consumers are realizing that beauty isn’t skin-deep.
—
Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 19 Sep. 2025
The comparisons were more than skin-deep: the researchers used gravity data to take a peek underground.
—Elise Cutts, Scientific American, 13 May 2025
However, despite some fancy camera work and close-ups, this production only goes skin-deep.
—Christian Lewis, Variety, 28 Mar. 2025
There, Snow White finds new purpose and fortitude in not only her new friends but also in her journey to find her father after he is dumped by her horrible stepmother, who is only concerned with skin-deep beauty.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for skin-deep
Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 19 Sep. 2025
The comparisons were more than skin-deep: the researchers used gravity data to take a peek underground.
—Elise Cutts, Scientific American, 13 May 2025
However, despite some fancy camera work and close-ups, this production only goes skin-deep.
—Christian Lewis, Variety, 28 Mar. 2025
There, Snow White finds new purpose and fortitude in not only her new friends but also in her journey to find her father after he is dumped by her horrible stepmother, who is only concerned with skin-deep beauty.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for skin-deep
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skin-deep
Adjective
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Unlike body composition metrics, BMI obscures the true extent of metabolic dysfunction and cannot distinguish between muscle and fat — or between superficial fat and the visceral fat that drives diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions.—
Bret Scher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
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After he was taken into custody, he was found to be bleeding from his hand and had several superficial cuts on his stomach.—
Patrick Damp,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Amid the nods to social media and cancel culture and the shallow perils of modern celebrity, the image of Taylor-Joy’s disciplined group of insurgents, who speak in almost archaic, poetic dialogue, strikes a bracing contrast.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2026
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Vegetables with slow root development typically form deeper vertical roots rather than shallow horizontal roots.—
Tessa Cooper,
The Spruce,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The company’s focus on efficient and autonomous ship manufacturing and mature supply chain enables high volume, low cost delivery of commercial and defense maritime vehicles, in surface and sub-surface environments (currently 95% of commercial ship-building occurs in Asia).—
Sabbir Rangwala,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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Mura’s research team suggests that the sub-surface and mantle of Io may be like a sponge, in the sense that it is filled with pores filled with magma.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Skin-deep.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skin-deep. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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