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

• apparently
• evidently
• ostensibly
• ostensively
• presumably
• putatively
• supposedly

Examples of seemingly in a Sentence

a seemingly contented baby who was fast asleep in his crib

Recent Examples on the Web

Instead, as the sun goes down, the crowd gazes out over the ocean where a pair of red lips suddenly seemingly appears out of nowhere. —Caroline Reid, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024

Maryland running back Roman Hemby entered the transfer portal Monday, his agent Shawn O’Gorman confirmed to The Baltimore Sun, seemingly ending his tenure as the team’s starter for the past three years. —Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 17 Dec. 2024

For such an inelegant behavior to be in chatbots as widespread and popular as GPT is a blunt reminder of two larger, seemingly contrary phenomena. —Jonathan L. Zittrain, The Atlantic, 17 Dec. 2024

The days of Beckham Jr. at the center of the NFL limelight are seemingly behind him as the once superstar receiver has experienced issues with producing consistent numbers while staying on the field since leaving the New York Giants after the 2018 season. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1616, in the meaning defined above