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# superficially

adverb (superficially)

«superficially» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Superficially means only on the surface or at first look, not deeply: «They look superficially alike». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/superficially/#m1)
2. Superficially can mean done quickly and carelessly, without real thought or care. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/superficially/#m2)
3. (medical) Superficially injured means hurt only on the skin, not deep inside. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/superficially/#m3)

### In the lessons

In reading and science lessons, «superficially similar» is used when two things look alike but are really different (a whale and a fish). In reports, a teacher may say work was done superficially, meaning without enough depth. In health, a superficial cut is shallow. Phrases: «superficially similar», «only superficially».

### Examples

- Bats and birds are superficially alike, but bats are mammals. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/superficially/#x1)
- He read the chapter only superficially and missed the main point. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/superficially/#x2)
- The driver was superficially injured, with just a few scratches. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/superficially/#x3)
- The twins look superficially the same but act very differently. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/superficially/#x4)
- The problem was fixed superficially, so it came back. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/superficially/#x5)
- Superficially, the plan looked good. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/superficially/#x6)

### Note

From «superficial» + -ly. «Super-» here means «above» (on the surface), not «very good». It is often a criticism: «superficial» = shallow.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «superficially» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/superficially/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«superficially» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/superficially.html) on Mova free.