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

Heading into the second half of a season where seemingly nothing has gone right, the 49ers are doubling down. —Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 9 Nov. 2024

The project was daunting: the powerful steel company seemingly has strong influence in the area and has shown little interest in accommodating outsiders. —Will Tizard, Variety, 5 Nov. 2024

What to expect today After months of polls, speculation, political ads and seemingly endless barnstorming of Michigan, Election Day 2024 has finally arrived. —Elissa Robinson, Detroit Free Press, 5 Nov. 2024

Wisconsin polling locations received non-credible bomb threats on Tuesday that seemingly originated from Russian email domains, Caroline Clancy, public affairs officer for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Milwaukee, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. —Maia Pandey, Journal Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1616, in the meaning defined above