seemingly

British  

/ ˈsiːmɪŋlɪ /

adverb

1. in appearance but not necessarily in actuality

   with seemingly effortless ease

2. (sentence modifier) apparently; as far as one knows

   seemingly, he had few friends left

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Explanation

Something seemingly true appears to be true. Use the adverb seemingly when you want to say "on the face of it" or "apparently." The word seemingly refers to how things look on the surface — how they seem — and it often suggests there's more to the story. A seemingly broken ankle might actually be sprained, and a seemingly rich man might actually be deeply in debt. While your dog is seemingly well-behaved, he may be eating the garbage when you're not home. Seemingly means about the same as apparently, ostensibly, or surely.

Example Sentences

The Queen of Pop joined Carpenter on stage for a duet of Vogue, Like A Prayer and a song seemingly from Madonna's new album.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

We first see her slouched on a sofa on the back porch of the family’s house, seemingly cocooned in unhappiness.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

They’re joined by drummer Daxx Nielsen, Rick Nielsen’s son who ably replaced the seemingly irreplaceable Bun E. Carlos in 2010.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

The home has seemingly found a new buyer and is pending sale, according to property records.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

Just to annoy them, he announced every catch he made, each one seemingly bigger than the last.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn