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superficial

su·per·fi·cial
S s

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [soo-per-fish-uh l]
    • /ˌsu pərˈfɪʃ əl/
    • /ˌsuː.pəˈfɪʃ.əl/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [soo-per-fish-uh l]
    • /ˌsu pərˈfɪʃ əl/

Definitions of superficial word

  • adjective superficial being at, on, or near the surface: a superficial wound. 1
  • adjective superficial of or relating to the surface: superficial measurement. 1
  • adjective superficial external or outward: a superficial resemblance. 1
  • adjective superficial concerned with or comprehending only what is on the surface or obvious: a superficial observer. 1
  • adjective superficial shallow; not profound or thorough: a superficial writer. 1
  • adjective superficial apparent rather than real. 1

Information block about the term

Origin of superficial

First appearance:

before 1375
One of the 22% oldest English words
1375-1425; late Middle English superfyciall < Late Latin superficiālis, equivalent to Latin superfici(ēs) superficies + -ālis -al1

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Superficial

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

superficial popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 91% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

superficial usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for superficial

adj superficial

  • airheaded — Slang. a scatterbrained, stupid, or simple-minded person; dolt.
  • arbitrary — If you describe an action, rule, or decision as arbitrary, you think that it is not based on any principle, plan, or system. It often seems unfair because of this.
  • benign — You use benign to describe someone who is kind, gentle, and harmless.
  • birdbrained — a stupid, foolish, or scatterbrained person.
  • campiest — of, relating to, or characterized by camp: a campy send-up of romantic operetta.

adjective superficial

  • amphibological — (rare) of doubtful meaning, ambiguous, quibbling.
  • clever — Someone who is clever is intelligent and able to understand things easily or plan things well.
  • depthless — immeasurably deep; fathomless
  • designless — without a design, unplanned
  • detail — The details of something are its individual features or elements.

Antonyms for superficial

adj superficial

  • across the board — If a policy or a situation applies across the board, it affects everything or everyone in a particular group.
  • all out — not at one's home or place of employment; absent: I stopped by to visit you last night, but you were out.
  • all the way — You use all the way to emphasize how long a distance is.
  • all-embracing — Something that is all-embracing includes or affects everyone or everything.
  • all-encompassing — all-embracing.

adjective superficial

  • acroamatic — relating to oral communication
  • earnest — serious in intention, purpose, or effort; sincerely zealous: an earnest worker.
  • embracive — (archaic) Disposed to embrace; fond of caressing.
  • exhaustive — Examining, including, or considering all elements or aspects; fully comprehensive.
  • heartfelt — deeply or sincerely felt: heartfelt sympathy.

Top questions with superficial

  • what does superficial mean?
  • what is superficial?
  • what does superficial mean in anatomy?
  • which is the most superficial layer of skin?
  • what does superficial love mean?
  • what is the definition of superficial?
  • the eyebrows are superficial to what bone?
  • which region of the kidney is the most superficial?
  • what does it mean to be superficial?
  • what is a superficial wound?
  • what is superficial punctate keratitis?
  • what is superficial wound?
  • what are the layers of skin from superficial to deep?
  • how to use superficial in a sentence?
  • which abdominal muscle is most superficial?

See also

Matching words

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