superficially

adverb

1
as in minimally

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in imperfectly

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Dissimilar Words

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 superficially While HyLight’s airship looks superficially similar to the zeppelins of yesteryear, the design has had some significant updates. — Edd Gent, IEEE Spectrum, 29 Oct. 2026 The wealth tax opponents have applied the age-old technique of mustering superficially plausible, but largely imaginary, consequences of passage. — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026 Digger is lambasted by his half sister, Emma (Sandra Hüller), a superficially liberal-minded Shiv Roy type, with her own eco-friendly initiative. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2026 Both men’s families are played by actors who superficially match their real-world counterparts. — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026 First, a few enthusiastic teams shipped generative AI and agentic AI features fast and superficially, creating real second-order risk—which is why the AI productivity function exists today. — Ankur Pal, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026 Further, conditions such as major depressive disorder and schizophrenia likely have several subgroups that superficially resemble each other but develop through different mechanisms and pathways. — Anand Kumar, The Conversation, 26 Aug. 2026 Anna Anosowicz’s highly resourceful production design makes excellent use of existing midcentury brutalist architecture and far more ancient, enduring structures, all moldering under superficially futuristic window-dressing. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 20 Aug. 2026 Tony Dalton brings impressive menace to a superficially affable sheriff, and Laura Donnelly strikes the perfect balance between femme fatale and innocent love interest. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for superficially
  1. minimally
  2. imperfectly
  3. slightly
  4. narrowly
  5. marginally
  6. inadequately
  7. barely
  8. shallowly
Adverb
  • The most recent lockout in 2022 minimally disrupted the MLB schedule, pushing Opening Day back a week.
    — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Obsidian Blue explores the darkest end of the palette, with a sulphur top that is particularly expressive in deep, minimally washed looks.
    — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of minimally
Adverb
  • The department exists to preserve some semblance of equal justice in the United States — imperfectly, haltingly, often overbearingly for some and cautiously for others — and help ensure that the nation is governed by the rule of law.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Rather than suffering because leaders acted imperfectly, organizations often suffer because leaders waited too long to act at all.
    — Irma Becerra, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of imperfectly
Adverb
  • The course of Alzheimer’s disease is slightly slower than that of Lewy body dementia, according to Vossel.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Although Ossoff is heavily favored to win reelection, Bottoms is trailing Jackson slightly in the RealClearPolitics average of polls heading into Election Day.
    — Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of slightly
Adverb
  • Voters narrowly backed a change to Miami-Dade’s charter that could clear the way for county commissioners to receive higher salaries, ending the county’s history of potential pay raises failing at the ballot box.
    — Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was narrowly ahead of City Councilmember Nithya Raman, her onetime political ally, in the race to lead the nation’s second-largest city, according to early returns Tuesday.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of narrowly
Adverb
  • On the strength of those elections, restrained only marginally by the midterm elections of 1982, Reagan began his second term on top of the world.
    — Ron Elving, NPR, 24 Oct. 2026
  • For the first time, the band with the most un-Googleable name in showbiz sounds marginally legible.
    — Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of marginally
Adverb
  • However, his excavations focused largely on major artifacts while leaving other parts of the tombs unexplored and inadequately documented.
    — Anne Doran for ARTnews, Robb Report, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Jackson County used flawed property value assessments, inadequately notified taxpayers, conducted substandard inspections and had poor oversight, according to a scathing report from Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick.
    — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of inadequately
Adverb
  • By spinning up nostalgia for a kind of luxurious rap stardom that barely exists anymore, Baby Osamaa comes up with a sketch of what her own big-budget major label debut would look like.
    — Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Thankfully, there will always be Basque cheesecake, glazed on the top and barely set in the center.
    — John Kessler, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of barely
Adverb
  • When to seek medical attention People who use kratom and begin breathing slowly or shallowly, or who become excessively drowsy or difficult to awaken, may be experiencing serious sedation that can interfere with breathing, Steinman said.
    — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Young and shallowly rooted plants are the most impacted by heat and drought, leaving them vulnerable to diseases and pests.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 16 June 2026
Definition of shallowly

Browse Nearby Words

superficiality
superficially
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Cite this Entry

“Superficially.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/superficially. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

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