superficial

[soo-per-fish-uhl] / ˌsu pərˈfɪʃ əl /

ADJECTIVE

without depth, detail

Synonyms

STRONGEST

cursory frivolous one-dimensional perfunctory silly sketchy slight trivial

WEAK

apparent casual cosmetic depthless desultory empty evident exterior external flash flimsy general glib half-baked hasty hurried ignorant inattentive lightweight nodding on the surface ostensible outward partial passing peripheral quick-fix seeming shallow shoal skin-deep slapdash smattery summary surface tip of the iceberg uncritical warped

Antonyms

STRONGEST

complete important mature sensible serious significant thoughtful wise

WEAK

analytical careful deep detailed genuine thorough

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But “Alpha” rarely transcends its intellectual trappings or superficial themes.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

That goal becomes difficult when students feel pressure to hide their true opinions, making connection superficial at best.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026

X on Friday denounced what it called the EU's "incomplete and superficial investigation".

From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026

He suffered only superficial burns, a chipped ankle and an injured shin.

From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026

Perhaps the recipients will make nothing of it, or think it is a recording of a pulsar, which in some superficial sense it resembles.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Vocabulary lists containing superficial

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Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 2

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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 5

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