How to Use superficial in a Sentence

superficial

adjective
  • They had a superficial knowledge of the topic.
  • The storm only caused superficial damage to the building.
  • These superficial changes don't address the underlying problem.
  • And kind of playing with things at the outside of the edges in very superficial ways?
    Fortune Editors, Fortune, 8 Feb. 2023
  • In terms of the more superficial sense of comity, this is not true.
    Melissa Mohr, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 May 2018
  • The wife received superficial wounds to the face and neck.
    Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 19 July 2024
  • The image is a superficial image on the upper fibers of the cloth.
    Joanne Berger Dumound/special To Cleveland.com., cleveland.com, 19 Feb. 2018
  • There’s a wide range of peels on the market, from superficial to deep peels.
    Kiana Murden, Vogue, 17 June 2024
  • The question makes sense, in at least a superficial way.
    al, 23 Aug. 2019
  • The cold air helps to remove toxins and CO2 from the superficial layers of the skin.
    April Long, Town & Country, 1 July 2021
  • Once the shoes are moisture-free, your first step is to brush away any superficial dirt.
    Gia Yetikyel, Vogue, 3 Nov. 2023
  • On the flip side, air signs can also be flighty and superficial.
    Madison Feller, ELLE, 28 Feb. 2023
  • The same can’t be said for Alzheimer’s other than on the most superficial level.
    Sy Mukherjee, Fortune, 12 June 2018
  • That gives the film a superficial resemblance to the quest at the heart of Saving Private Ryan.
    David Faris, The Week, 28 June 2022
  • So the language has to be very glitzy and superficial and populist.
    Steven Leckart, WIRED, 19 Oct. 2010
  • Nor was its appeal superficial, like some of the other items pictured on the side of the ice cream truck.
    Steve Kolowich, Washington Post, 26 July 2022
  • Your image needs a bit of editing, Pisces (not at all in the superficial sense!).
    Colin Bedell, Cosmopolitan, 10 Dec. 2017
  • It’s not just superficial shape that unifies the five evolved crab forms.
    Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 19 Oct. 2020
  • That is not to suggest that Moser’s project is in any way superficial.
    Nina Siegal, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2019
  • Alas, the comments of the Twitter hive mind are rather superficial.
    Kim Sajet, Smithsonian, 16 Jan. 2018
  • These blows came alongside the superficial changes of having his blonde locks and right eye cut away.
    Richard Newby, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 May 2018
  • There’s a superficial sense of a tsunami hitting the Fox shores.
    The Hive, 5 Apr. 2017
  • The damage on the left front side was superficial, police said.
    Erika Butler, The Aegis, 31 Aug. 2017
  • The other man suffered a superficial stab wound in the encounter.
    oregonlive, 27 Oct. 2020
  • The world likes to accuse L.A. of being a tacky, superficial town that lacks a sense of tradition.
    Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2023
  • In the best cases, the wound is superficial and the animal survives.
    Will Brantley, Field & Stream, 7 Sep. 2023
  • The woman rushed them and stabbed one officer in the chest, leaving a superficial wound.
    Bob Sandrick, cleveland, 14 Aug. 2021
  • These fungi invade the superficial layers of the skin, hair or nails.
    Dr. Patty Khuly, miamiherald, 18 May 2018
  • There are many health benefits of orgasms—and some more superficial ones too.
    Lexi Petronis, Glamour, 10 Oct. 2024
  • Never be superficial, whether in life or work, but study hard, read and educate yourself.
    Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Oct. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'superficial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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