Meaning & use

semblance

noun·Advanced

An outward appearance or impression of something, which may or may not reflect the underlying reality.

See it in a sentence

After the storm, volunteers worked for weeks to restore some semblance of normal life.

He tried to maintain a semblance of calm even as the situation grew more chaotic.

A note on using this word

Semblance often implies the reality may differ from the appearance, as in 'a semblance of order' hiding underlying confusion.

Words with a similar meaning

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