superficialsu‧per‧fi‧cial /ˌsuːpəˈfɪʃəl◂ $ -pər-/ ●○○ adjective 
Even a superficial inspection revealed serious flaws. Naturally, such visits can allow only the most superficial understanding of prison life.2appearance seeming to have a particular quality, although this is not true or realsuperficial resemblance/similarity Despite their superficial similarities, the two novels are, in fact, very different. Beneath his refined manners and superficial elegance lay something treacherous.at/on a superficial level At a superficial level, things seem to have remained the same.3wound/damage affecting only the surface of your skin or the outside part of something, and therefore not serious: She escaped with only superficial cuts and bruises. superficial damage4person someone who is superficial does not think about things that are serious or important – used to show disapproval SYN shallow: All the other girls seemed silly and superficial to Darlene.5not important superficial changes, difficulties etc are not important and do not have a big effect SYN minor: superficial changes in government policies6top layer existing in or relating to the top layer of something, especially soil, rock etc—superficially adverb—superficiality /ˌsuːpəfɪʃiˈæləti $ -pər-/ noun [uncountable]
WORD ORIGINsuperficial
Origin:
1300-1400 Late Latin superficialis, from Latin superficies ‘surface’, from facies ‘face’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- a superficial understanding of physics
- Barlow was treated for a superficial gunshot wound to the leg.
- Debbie kept canceling our dates for superficial reasons.
- The landscape bore a superficial resemblance to England's green and pleasant land, and each house had a small suburban garden.
- The people are friendly, but only in a superficial way.
- As a reader I think there is too much superficial cricket autobiography and biography already available.
- But Pittsburgh women are not silly or superficial.
- He had always thought of it as a superficial and outmoded gesture found only in old novels.
- The head and snout alone bear some superficial likeness to those of that familiar creature.
- To Ahab, the White Whale represents the impossibility of going behind the superficial layers of nature or reality.
Longman Language Activatorways of saying what seems to be happening,
if a person, place, or situation is pleasant, normal, calm etc on the surface , they seem that way until you know them better: · On the surface, life seemed normal in Beirut at that time.· Mike was very pleasant on the surface, but he had a nasty temper.
if someone is outwardly calm, happy etc, that is how they seem to be, but in fact they are probably nervous, unhappy etc: · Outwardly she seemed contented and happy with life.outwardly calm/unconcerned etc: · Henry remained calm and outwardly unaffected by the terrible events of the previous day.
use this when something seems to be true about someone or something especially when it is not true: · To all appearances, they were a happily married couple.
use this to say that something seems true, you mean that it seems true, but you are not at all certain that it actually is, because you do not know all the facts: · On the face of it, this seems like a perfectly good idea -- we must wait and see if it turns out well.· On the face of it, he appeared to be an ideal candidate for the position.
: seemingly impossible/endless/unimportant etc seeming to be impossible, endless, unimportant etc, especially when this is not actually true: · Running a mile in under 4 minutes was a seemingly impossible task.· I looked down at the seemingly endless expanse of green of the Serengeti Plain.· The music was strange, seemingly without a melody.
apparent abilities, feelings, or attitudes seem to be real, but you cannot be sure if they are: · She was upset by her father-in-law's apparent dislike of her.· What shocked me was the parents' apparent lack of interest in their child.
formal seeming to be true about someone's feelings, attitudes, or abilities: · I wondered about Richard's seeming reluctance to talk about his family.· The professor became frustrated by his students' seeming inability to understand simple questions.
feelings, attitudes, or qualities that are superficial are not real or true, even though someone or something seems to have them: · The people are friendly, but only in a superficial way.· The landscape bore a superficial resemblance to England's green and pleasant land, and each house had a small suburban garden.
WORD SETSavalanche, nounaxis, nouncatchment area, nouncrater, noundinosaur, noundivide, nounelement, nounextinct, adjectivegallery, noungeo-, prefixgeophysics, nounglacial, adjectiveglaciation, noungoldfield, nounlandslide, nounlandslip, nounleach, verbmagnetic pole, nounmagnitude, nounmantle, nounmeteorite, nounmolten, adjectivemother lode, nounnatural history, nounonyx, nounopal, nounozone layer, nounpaleontology, nounpitchblende, nounPleistocene, adjectivePliocene, adjectiveprimeval, adjectivequake, verbquake, nounrarefied, adjectiverock, verbscour, verbshock wave, nounslide, nounsoapstone, nounstony, adjectivestream, nounstrip mine, nounsubcontinent, nounsubterranean, adjectivesuperficial, adjectiveterrain, nounterrestrial, adjectivetremor, nounundercurrent, nounvolcanic, adjectivevolcano, nounvortex, nounwater table, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Even a superficial inspection revealed serious flaws. Despite their superficial similarities, the two novels are, in fact, very different. At a superficial level, things seem to have remained the same.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1not looking/studying carefully not studying or looking at something carefully and only seeing the most noticeable thingssuperficial examination/study etc Even a superficial inspection revealed serious flaws. Despite their superficial similarities, the two novels are, in fact, very different. At a superficial level, things seem to have remained the same. (=not deep)· I’m fine - just a few superficial cuts.
(=looking only at things that are obvious and easy to see)· The police carried out a fairly superficial examination of the room.
(=when something seems to look like something else, but is in fact quite different)· Its spines give it a superficial resemblance to a hedgehog.
(=one in which an obvious feature of two things is similar, but other features are not similar)· the superficial similarities between animal behaviour and human behaviour
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· In bringing out the imbalance, therefore, it should appear in progressively lower and more superficial regions of the body.· The oral papillae are small and pointed, irregularly arranged either along the edge of the jaw or slightly more superficial.· Others had made more superficial changes.· Wit operates on a more superficial level than imagination.· One explanation is that there are social class differences of a more superficial kind which overlay the similarity in role-identification patterns.
· There seems to be almost no discussion of the above topics apart from at the most superficial level.· But only the most superficial reading of Mundo de siete pozos could produce a judgement like that of Arrieta.· Such economies of attention are achieved by dealing only with the most superficial aspects of an experience.· The most superficial phenomena are sometimes the most profound.
· To concentrate on the latter is not only superficial, it is also incorrect.· If we want to improve early childhood education, by-passing teachers' thinking brings only superficial change.
· In fact it incorporates only very superficial observations.· Our observation is that tapes can be used only in very superficial wounds and very small skin lacerations.
NOUN· Searches are restricted to superficial examination of outer clothing.· After he'd made a quick and fairly superficial examination I locked the door.
· Chronic superficial gastritis was seen in 12 patients and atrophic gastritis in two.· However, a decline in pentagastrin stimulated gastric acid secretion with age was seen in those subjects with superficial gastritis also.· No clinical data regarding the aetiology of superficial gastritis in these patients are given.
· While, at a superficial level, the titles might well mislead, a swift glance at the contents is reassuring.· On a superficial level, it has given the undersea hot springs their otherworldly look.· There seems to be almost no discussion of the above topics apart from at the most superficial level.· At this superficial level, different kinds of speech community shape can be readily distinguished.· The result was, however, that the most important change in Roman life was observed only at a superficial level.· After all, who really likes gossips beyond a superficial level?· On a superficial level, there are similarities.
· Genesis 1 has often been compared with the Babylonian account of creation to which it bears a superficial resemblance.· But such arrangements bear only a superficial resemblance to classic design.· The administration of Ponthieu bore some superficial resemblances to that of Aquitaine.
· The superficial similarities might make a lesser man than Mikhail Gorbachev tremble.· They claim that despite superficial similarities with shamanism, something very different is going on.· I shall suggest that, although they capture some superficial similarities between the two issues, they are ultimately misleading.· There were, it was true, any number of superficial similarities.· The variety underlying the superficial similarity of idiom is enormous, even within the work of a single composer.· But that is a superficial similarity.· In such circumstances the superficial similarities between animal behaviour and human behaviour sometimes become very marked.
· And to us if we are to understand him in anything more than a superficial way.
Even a superficial inspection revealed serious flaws. Naturally, such visits can allow only the most superficial understanding of prison life.2appearance seeming to have a particular quality, although this is not true or realsuperficial resemblance/similarity Despite their superficial similarities, the two novels are, in fact, very different. Beneath his refined manners and superficial elegance lay something treacherous.at/on a superficial level At a superficial level, things seem to have remained the same.3wound/damage affecting only the surface of your skin or the outside part of something, and therefore not serious: She escaped with only superficial cuts and bruises. superficial damage4person someone who is superficial does not think about things that are serious or important – used to show disapproval SYN shallow: All the other girls seemed silly and superficial to Darlene.5not important superficial changes, difficulties etc are not important and do not have a big effect SYN minor: superficial changes in government policies6top layer existing in or relating to the top layer of something, especially soil, rock etc—superficially adverb—superficiality /ˌsuːpəfɪʃiˈæləti $ -pər-/ noun [uncountable]