Synonyms for superficial
- adjective
Most common
skin-deep shallow cursory surface-level perfunctory passing apparent
Synonyms by meaning
Adjective
1. Skin-deep — not thorough, deep, or complete; concerned only with the obvious or apparent. Lacking depth of character or…
skin-deep, shallow, cursory, surface-level, glib, facile, unimportant, insignificant, flippant, thin, slight, slick, flimsy, hasty, light, sketchy, slender, hurried, airy, inconsequential, frivolous, trifling
2. Perfunctory
perfunctory, passing, casual slang
Other
trivial, dilettante, surficial, square, dilettantish, sciolistic
Definitions
- adj. 1
Not thorough, deep, or complete; concerned only with the obvious or apparent. Lacking depth of character or understanding; lacking substance or significance.
- adj. 2
Existing, occurring, or located on the surface.
- adj. 3
Existing, occurring, or located on the surface. Close to the surface of the body; especially, situated or occurring on the skin or immediately beneath it.
The epidermis is superficial to the subcutis.
Related words
- Word family
- superficialist superficiality superficialize superficially
- Phrases
- superficial fascia
Example sentences
- shallow The curriculum of this school is wide and shallow.
- cursory He gave the material a cursory reading.
- apparent The company turned him down for no apparent reason.
- trivial The conclusion may seem trivial: Esperanto exists.
By length
- 4 letters
- thin1, airy2, glib1
- 5 letters
- light1, outer2, slick1, hasty2
- 6 letters
- square1, slight1, casual3, flimsy2, facile2
- 7 letters
- passing2, shallow2, trivial3, slender2, outward2, seeming2, sketchy2, hurried2, cursory3
- 8 letters
- external3, apparent3, exterior4, trifling2, flippant2
- 9 letters
- frivolous3, surficial
- 10 letters
- ostensible4, dilettante, sciolistic
- 11 letters
- unimportant4, perfunctory4
- 12 letters
- dilettantish
- 13 letters
- insignificant5
- 15 letters
- inconsequential5
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (airy2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- superficiel
- Italiano
- superficiale
- Español
- superficial
- Deutsch
- oberflächlich