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.

Many others, though, are in the middle - recognising the superficial appeal of the new F1, but feeling uncomfortable about it at the same time.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

“It’s a terrible idea to move swiftly and not have the really complicated and challenging process that is required to actually work towards more than a superficial pretense of revisionist history,” Gudis said.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 21, 2026

“Canada has had a bit of a superficial relationship with India,” said Neil Desai, a tech entrepreneur and former senior official in a previous Conservative government.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

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

From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026

From time to time I had made superficial attempts to identify with an author.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers

Vocabulary lists containing superficial

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