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.

“They’re modern and adapting and moving forward. It’s not about superficial appearances or stereotypes, and it’s not about living in the past —it’s about honoring that past by building a future. . . .”

From Literature

But in retrospect, my relationship with that ring was superficial.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

From Los Angeles Times

"Even if it becomes easier to build a superficial app, it's enormously expensive to get that app in front of people. Established apps still have a huge market advantage."

From BBC

Connections can seem superficial in large groups, but it really depends on how you define closeness.

From The Wall Street Journal

superficial

Example Sentences

Related Words