superficial meaning and examples

Meaning

Superficial means concerned only with what is on the surface or appears to be true, without looking deeply into the real nature of something. It can also mean shallow, lacking depth, or not thorough.

Grammar and Usage

• Part of speech: Adjective

• Used to describe people, actions, observations, or appearances.

• Sentence structure:

  • be + superficial
  • a superficial + noun

Common Phrases

• superficial knowledge – shallow or limited understanding
• superficial appearance – only looking at the surface, not the substance
• superficial relationship – lacking depth or emotional closeness
• superficial injury – not deep, only affecting the surface of the skin

Collocations

• superficial charm
• superficial analysis
• superficial similarity
• superficial wound
• superficial beauty

Examples

1. His analysis of the problem was too superficial and missed the key issues.
2. She has only a superficial knowledge of history.
3. The cut was superficial and did not require stitches.
4. Their friendship was superficial, based only on convenience.
5. At first glance, the houses looked similar, but the similarity was only superficial.
6. He is often accused of being superficial in his thinking.
7. The movie was entertaining but rather superficial.
8. Superficial beauty does not last forever.

Synonyms or Related

• shallow
• surface-level
• cursory
• trivial
• flimsy

Antonym

• profound
• deep
• thorough
• genuine