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superficial

UK:^*^*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˌsuːpə^rˈfɪʃ^əl/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˌsupɚˈfɪʃəl/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(so̅o̅′pər fish′əl)

su•per•fi•cial /ˌsupɚˈfɪʃəl/USA pronunciation adj.

being at, on, or near the surface:a superficial wound.
external or outward; apparent rather than real:They bear a superficial resemblance to each other.
concerned with or understanding only what is on the surface or what is obvious;
shallow:a superficial analysis of the problem.

su•per•fi•ci•al•i•ty /ˌsupɚˌfɪʃiˈælɪti/USA pronunciation n. [uncountable]
su•per•fi•cial•ly, adv.: Superficially these two look alike.

su•per•fi•cial (so̅o̅′pər fish′əl),USA pronunciation adj.

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

Late Latin superficiālis, equivalent. to Latin superfici(ēs) superficies + -ālis -al¹
late Middle English superfyciall 1375–1425

su′per•fi′cial•ly, adv.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

superficial /ˌsuːpəˈfɪʃəl/ adj

of, relating to, being near, or forming the surface: superficial bruising
displaying a lack of thoroughness or care: a superficial inspection
only outwardly apparent rather than genuine or actual: the similarity was merely superficial
of little substance or significance; trivial: superficial differences
lacking originality or profundity: the film's plot was quite superficial
(of measurements) involving only the surface area

Etymology: 14th Century: from Late Latin superficiālis of the surface, from Latin superficiessuperficiality /ˌsuːpəˌfɪʃɪˈælɪtɪ/, rare ˌsuperˈficialness n ˌsuperˈficially adv

'superficial' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

airy - amateur - artificial - casual - clever - convergence - counterirritant - court plaster - crease - cursory - desultory - dilettante - excoriate - external - facile - fancy - flashy - flesh wound - gilt - greenwash - journalese - nod - optics - outward - peripheral - plethora - powder burn - powdery mildew - scarify - sciolism - shallow - silly - simulacrum - singe - sketchy - skim - skin-deep - smattering - sticking plaster - surface - tangential - varicose veins - varnish - veneer - veneering - apparel - aspect - bacitracin - Birdseye - burn

In Lists: Biology, Undesirable personal qualities, Types of burns, more...

Synonyms: slight, surface, external, exterior, skin-deep, more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "superficial" in the title:

...the attempt to <explain away> superficial resemblance as due to convergent evolution...
'superficial'
a ______ and superficial enthusiasm
act superficially//was superficial
beyond the superficial trappings that only days before had seemed so important
Cover up in a superficial way
deep and superficial thinking
it shows the stereotype for the superficial typecasting that it is
No abnormalities are seen <with> superficial lymph nodes.
On a superficial level / at a superficial level
real and deep and lasting versus the superficial
shallow or superficial
simplified/superficial
superficial relationship antonym
superficial, "single-time", "not-problem solving" approach
surface/superficial meaning
The first article is comprehensive; the second, superficial. [punctuation / comma]
the superficial aspects
We didn't discuss it in any but the most superficial and peripheral way?

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⇱ superficial - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

superficial