superficial
87
5.6
- adjective
- /ˌsuːpərˈfɪʃəl/
- Her comments during the meeting were superficial, focusing only on the surface level without any critical insights.
- superficial understanding
- superficial similarities
- superficial learning
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Watch on YouTubeIt is a very superficial knowledge of this man.
- It is a very superficial knowledge of this man.
- But it's more than the superficial scripts of a midlife crisis.
- It's hard for me to give superficial flattery.
- And that would come from a, you might say, selective or superficial reading of Stoic texts.
- I know that might sound so superficial or some people might think that there are worse things.
- And I would say, yeah, I think we've by and large become more superficial.
- And there's been, there's been a focus on increasingly brief, increasingly superficial and increasingly cheap interventions.
- If you strip away all the superficial features of a thing, of a pursuit, what's left?
- That is to say, these differences remain pure forms, superficial vanishing moments.
- Like super, super superficial faith is what this is to me.
- Money means power, validation, bragging rights, superficial stuff like cars and clothes and stuff.
Examples
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By now she's probably been in and out of half a dozen other superficial relationships.
Fiction book (2000) -
Becoming more selective and less interested in superficial relationships, with an increasing need for solitude.
Academic text (1999) -
It's not just the superficial, you know, car, house, whatever it is.
-
But it's not fair to judge anyone after one superficial conversation.
-
You said some very superficial things.
-
At the same time, these pass rates represent a superficial measure of success.
Academic text (2015) -
Jeff is the one who wants to keep their relationship on a superficial level "with no future."
Academic text (1999) -
I'll tell you something: superficial relationships are as hard to maintain as the other kind.
Fiction book (2000) -
It is a very superficial knowledge of this man.
-
I realise that this is completely superficial and that underneath all that you are undoubtedly a wonderful person with wonderful human qualities.
Synonyms
120
3.4
Showing little thought or real feeling
61
6.0
To treat a difficult problem as too simple and misleading
23
4.8
Done quickly and without close attention
22
7.0
Done quickly without enough attention to detail
10
8.7
Done quickly without real interest or care
9
4.7
Only on the surface and not deep inside
Antonyms
Compounds
- Specialized
1
7.7
A small vein that carries blood from the lower belly into a large thigh vein
- Specialized
A large vein along the Sylvian fissure on the side of the brain that drains into the cavernous sinus
- Specialized
A vein on the side of the head above the ear that drains blood from the scalp
How Thorough
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Superficial comes from the Latin parts super- 'above' and facies 'face' or 'surface', and is like the English word face. So when something or someone is superficial, they only touch the outside and are not deep or serious.