What does semblance mean?
Definitions for semblance
ˈsɛm blənssem·blance
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word semblance.
Princeton's WordNet
semblance, gloss, color, colournoun
an outward or token appearance or form that is deliberately misleading
"he hoped his claims would have a semblance of authenticity"; "he tried to give his falsehood the gloss of moral sanction"; "the situation soon took on a different color"
illusion, semblancenoun
an erroneous mental representation
likeness, semblancenoun
picture consisting of a graphic image of a person or thing
Wiktionary
semblancenoun
likeness, similarity; the quality of being similar.
semblancenoun
Seeming; appearance; show; figure; form.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
Semblancenoun
Etymology: semblance, Fr. from semblant.
Solicit Henry with her wond’rous praise;
Bethink thee on her virtues, that surmount
Her natural graces, that extinguish art:
Repeat their semblance often. William Shakespeare.She’s but the sign and semblance of her honour:
Behold how like a maid she blushes here!
O, what authority and shew of truth
Can cunning sin cover itself withal! William Shakespeare.He with high words, that bore
Semblance of worth, not substance, gently rais’d
Their fainting courage, and dispell’d their fears. John Milton.This last effort brought forth the opinion, that these bodies are not what they seem to be; that they are no shells, but mere sportings of active nature, and only semblances or imitations of shells. John Woodward.
It is not his meaning that we put on the outward face and semblance of virtue, only to conceal and disguise our vice. John Rogers.
Be you the soldier; for you likest are,
For manly semblance and for skill in war. Edmund Spenser.Their semblance kind, and mild their gestures were,
Peace in their hands, and friendship in their face. Edward Fairfax.All that fair and good in thy divine
Semblance, and in thy beauty’s heav’nly ray,
United I beheld. John Milton, Par. Lost.
ChatGPT
semblance
Semblance is the outward appearance or apparent form of something, especially when the reality is different. It's a likeness or similarity to something, sometimes deceptive or superficial in nature.
Webster Dictionary
Semblanceadjective
seeming; appearance; show; figure; form
Semblanceadjective
likeness; resemblance, actual or apparent; similitude; as, the semblance of worth; semblance of virtue
Etymology: [F. See Semblable, a.]
Matched Categories
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
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Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of semblance in Chaldean Numerology is: 4
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of semblance in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2
Examples of semblance in a Sentence
We're not just getting information about the public health situation but we are trying to replicate some semblance of business online with their help.
We have to find a way to make sure that we're able to make Baltimore City a little more whole than it is, i have to tell you it's been Baltimore that's been chopped at and bitten at in 1990 and 2000 and 2010 and here we go now in 2020. So the city can't give anymore. It's got to have some sort of unification where communities have a semblance of having things in common and having the same sort of goals and aspirations.
Things have changed, to go through what Juarez went through, you see life there again. You see a semblance of what was there before. To really recover and heal wounds, there's a long way to go, but the process has started and that's a step in the right direction.
Compulsion cannot produce virtue; it can only produce the outward semblance of virtue.
Because whenever we look to President Barack Obamas White House for some leadership or consolation or any semblance of steadiness, what we get instead is chaos, division, and a total and utter lack of empathy, empathy : thats something Ive been thinking a lot about lately. The ability to walk in someone elses shoes ; the recognition that someone elses experience has value, too. Most of us practice this without a second thought. If we see someone suffering or struggling, we dont stand in judgment.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
Translations for semblance
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- zdáníCzech
- aparienciaSpanish
- چهرهPersian
- ulkonäköFinnish
- coltasScottish Gaelic
- דמיוןHebrew
- látszatHungarian
- sembianza, parvenza, apparenzaItalian
- semblanceJapanese
- ಹೋಲಿಕೆKannada
- 외관, 모습Korean
- likhetNorwegian
- gelijkheidDutch
- pozórPolish
- semelhançaPortuguese
- подобие, сходствоRussian
- sličnost, izgledSerbo-Croatian
- likhetSwedish
- ஒத்த இயல்புTamil
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"semblance." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 18 Jan. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/semblance>.
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