ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Semblance

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ˈsɛmblən(t)s/ · Part of speech noun

Quick meaning: Semblance is a noun meaning (countable) The outward appearance or form of a person or thing.

Meaning

(countable) The outward appearance or form of a person or thing.

More Meanings

  1. (countable) Followed by of: a person or thing that is seen; an apparition, a vision.
  2. (countable) Followed by of: a person or thing that looks similar to another person or thing; a likeness.
  3. (countable, always in the negative) Followed by of: a bare or mere appearance of something.
  4. (countable, dated) In the form make semblance: an act of appearing; an appearance, a manifestation; also, a false appearance, a pretence.
  5. (uncountable, archaic) The quality or state of being similar; likeness, resemblance, similarity.
  6. (uncountable, obsolete) The chance of something happening; likelihood, probability.
  7. (countable) A person's non-verbal behaviour or demeanour which shows their feelings, thoughts, etc., or which is faked to hide such true feelings, thoughts, etc.

Example Sentences

Thou, whose exterior semblance doth belie / Thy soul's immensity; […]
Be you the Souldier, for you likeſt are / For manly ſemblance, and ſmall skill in vvarre: […]
Oft haue I ſeene a timely-parted Ghoſt, / Of aſhy ſemblance, meager, pale, and bloodleſſe, […]
England, seated far north in the turbid sea, now visits my dreams in the semblance of a vast and well-manned ship, which mastered the winds and rode proudly over the waves.

Word Forms

Synonyms for semblance

Depending on context, synonyms include veneer, portrait, illusion, color, likeness, colour.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include likeness, illusion, colour, color, resemblance, similarity.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.