Meaning & use
outward appearance
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Meanings
nouncountable
the way someone or something looks on the outside, rather than what they are really like.
Grammar: Usually used with 'the' or a possessive: his outward appearance, the outward appearance of the building.
Patterns
- the outward appearance of something
- someone's outward appearance
- judge by outward appearance
Don't judge people by their outward appearance; what matters is how they behave.
The outward appearance of the house was old, but inside it was completely modern.
He kept a calm outward appearance even though he was very nervous.
nouncountablefigurative
the way a person or thing seems to other people, especially when the real situation is different.
Grammar: Often used to contrast seeming with reality, as in 'give the outward appearance of'.
Patterns
- give the outward appearance of something
- keep up an outward appearance of something
The company gave the outward appearance of success, but it was losing money.
She maintained the outward appearance of a happy marriage for years.
Word forms
| plural | outward appearances |
|---|
Common combinations
- outward appearance
- Their outward appearance told us nothing about their true feelings.
- judge by outward appearance
- Try not to judge by outward appearance alone.
- the outward appearance of
- The outward appearance of the car was misleading.
- keep up an outward appearance
- They kept up an outward appearance of calm.
- despite appearances
- Despite appearances, the two brothers get along well.
Synonyms and how they differ
- appearance
- The shorter, more common word; it can also mean the act of arriving, which 'outward appearance' cannot.
- look
- More informal and often about a person's face or style: 'I like his new look.'
- exterior
- Used mostly for buildings and objects, not people.
- surface
- Suggests the top layer only, and is more figurative: 'on the surface, everything seemed fine.'
Opposites
Word family
- appear verb
- to seem or to come into sight.
- appearance noun
- the way someone or something looks.
- apparent adjective
- seeming to be true, though possibly not.
- outwardly adverb
- in a way that shows on the outside.
Commonly confused: outward appearance or outward appearance? outward appearance or looks?
outward appearance vs outward appearance
Some learners write 'outward appearance' when they mean just 'appearance'. Add 'outward' only when you want to contrast the outside with the inside.
outward appearance vs looks
'Looks' is informal and mainly about physical attractiveness: 'She cares about her looks.'
Practice
Which sentence uses 'outward appearance' most naturally?
Choose one answer.
'Outward appearance' means how something looks on the outside, so it fits the contrast between the modern outside and the old rooms. Option B confuses it with 'appearance' meaning 'arrival', and option C wrongly uses it to describe behavior rather than looks.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “outward appearance”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.