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Received-Pronunciation:
/ˌsuːpəˈfɪʃəl/
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Received-Pronunciation:
[ˌsʊu̯pəˈfɪʃəl] ~ [ˌsʊu̯pəˈfɪʃl̩]
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General-American:
/ˌsupɚˈfɪʃəl/
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General-American:
[ˌsʊu̯pɚˈfɪʃəl] ~ [ˌsʊu̯pɹ̩ˈfɪʃl̩]
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California, Southern:
Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ɪʃəl
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CMU ARPABET:
S UW2 P ER0 F IH1 SH AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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Existing, occurring, or located on the surface.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: relational
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: surficial
Antonyms: none provided
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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: often, relational
Topics: anatomy, medicine, sciences
Examples
superficial muscles The epidermis is superficial to the subcutis.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: surficial
Antonyms: deep
Appearing to be true or real only until examined more closely.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: external
Antonyms: none provided
Not thorough, deep, or complete; concerned only with the obvious or apparent.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: cursory, facile, sketchy, glib, skin-deep, smattering, surface-level
Antonyms: in-depth, thorough
Not thorough, deep, or complete; concerned only with the obvious or apparent.
Lacking depth of character or understanding; lacking substance or significance.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: cursory, facile, sketchy, glib, skin-deep, smattering, surface-level, shallow
Antonyms: in-depth, thorough, substantive
Two-dimensional; drawn on a flat surface.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: rare
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Denoting a quantity of a material expressed in terms of area covered rather than linear dimension or volume.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK
Topics: architecture
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: square
Antonyms: none provided
A surface detail.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: plural-normally
Examples
He always concentrates on the superficials and fails to see the real issue.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
concerned with or comprehending only what is apparent or obvious; not deep or penetrating emotionally or intellectually
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
superficial similarities a superficial mind his thinking was superficial and fuzzy superficial knowledge the superficial report didn't give the true picture only superficial differences
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: profound
of, affecting, or being on or near the surface
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
superficial measurements the superficial area of the wall a superficial wound
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
11
adjective satellite
Meaning 11
of little substance or significance
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
a few superficial editorial changes only trivial objections
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: trivial
Antonyms: none provided
Borrowing from Late Latin superficiālis (“of or belonging to the surface”), from superficiēs (“top, surface”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix).
Across languages
Translations 83 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic :
سَطْحِيّ
(saṭḥiyy)
— existing or located on the surface
Bulgarian :
повърхностен
(povǎrhnosten)
— existing or located on the surface
Catalan :
superficial
— existing or located on the surface
Chinese Mandarin :
表面的
(biǎomiàn de)
— existing or located on the surface
Finnish :
pinnallinen
— existing or located on the surface
Finnish :
pinta-
— existing or located on the surface
Georgian :
ზედაპირული
(zedaṗiruli)
— existing or located on the surface
German :
oberflächlich
— existing or located on the surface
Greek :
επιφανειακός
(epifaneiakós)
— existing or located on the surface
Ancient Greek :
ἐπιπόλαιος
(epipólaios)
— existing or located on the surface
Hebrew :
שִׁטְחִי
(shitkhí)
— existing or located on the surface
Hindi :
सतही
(sathī)
— existing or located on the surface
Hungarian :
felszíni
— existing or located on the surface
Hungarian :
felületi
— existing or located on the surface
Italian :
superficiale
— existing or located on the surface
Latin :
superficiālis
— existing or located on the surface
Lithuanian :
paviršinis
— existing or located on the surface
Norwegian Bokmål :
overfladisk
— existing or located on the surface
Polish :
powierzchniowy
— existing or located on the surface
Portuguese :
superficial
— existing or located on the surface
Russian :
пове́рхностный
(povérxnostnyj)
— existing or located on the surface
Spanish :
superficial
— existing or located on the surface
Turkish :
yüzeysel
— existing or located on the surface
Ukrainian :
поверхне́вий
(poverxnévyj)
— existing or located on the surface
Yiddish :
אויבנאויפֿיק
(oybnoyfik)
— existing or located on the surface
Zazaki :
sereyran
— existing or located on the surface
Chinese Mandarin :
淺層 /浅层
(qiǎncéng)
— on or immediately beneath the skin
Chinese Mandarin :
淺 /浅
(qiǎn)
— on or immediately beneath the skin
Finnish :
pinnallinen
— on or immediately beneath the skin
Finnish :
pinta-
— on or immediately beneath the skin
German :
oberflächlich
— on or immediately beneath the skin
German :
äußerlich
— on or immediately beneath the skin
Hindi :
सतही
(sathī)
— on or immediately beneath the skin
Māori :
ākahu
— on or immediately beneath the skin
Māori :
kirimoko
— on or immediately beneath the skin
Norwegian Bokmål :
overfladisk
— on or immediately beneath the skin
Portuguese :
superficial
— on or immediately beneath the skin
Russian :
пове́рхностный
(povérxnostnyj)
— on or immediately beneath the skin
Finnish :
näennäinen
— appearing to be true
Finnish :
pintapuolinen
— not thorough, concerned with the obvious or apparent
Finnish :
pinnallinen
— not thorough, concerned with the obvious or apparent
Greek :
επιφανειακός
(epifaneiakós)
— not thorough, concerned with the obvious or apparent
Lithuanian :
paviršutiniškas
— not thorough, concerned with the obvious or apparent
Lithuanian :
preliminarus
— not thorough, concerned with the obvious or apparent
Arabic :
سَطْحِيّ
(saṭḥiyy)
— lacking understanding or substance
Bengali :
উদাসীন
(udaśin)
— lacking understanding or substance
Catalan :
superficial
— lacking understanding or substance
Chinese Mandarin :
膚淺 /肤浅
(fūqiǎn)
— lacking understanding or substance
Czech :
povrchní
— lacking understanding or substance
Danish :
overfladisk
— lacking understanding or substance
Dutch :
oppervlakkig
— lacking understanding or substance
Esperanto :
supraĵa
— lacking understanding or substance
Esperanto :
malprofunda
— lacking understanding or substance
Estonian :
pinnapealne
— lacking understanding or substance
Finnish :
pinnallinen
— lacking understanding or substance
French :
superficiel
— lacking understanding or substance
Georgian :
ზედაპირული
(zedaṗiruli)
— lacking understanding or substance
German :
oberflächlich
— lacking understanding or substance
Greek :
ρηχός
(richós)
— lacking understanding or substance
Greek :
αβαθής
(avathís)
— lacking understanding or substance
Ancient Greek :
ἐπιπόλαιος
(epipólaios)
— lacking understanding or substance
Hebrew :
שִׁטְחִי
(shitkhí)
— lacking understanding or substance
Hindi :
सतही
(sathī)
— lacking understanding or substance
Hungarian :
felszínes
— lacking understanding or substance
Hungarian :
felületes
— lacking understanding or substance
Icelandic :
yfirborðskenndur
— lacking understanding or substance
Italian :
superficiale
— lacking understanding or substance
Lithuanian :
paviršutiniškas
— lacking understanding or substance
Māori :
mōhio ngutu
— lacking understanding or substance
Norwegian Bokmål :
overfladisk
— lacking understanding or substance
Polish :
powierzchowny
— lacking understanding or substance
Portuguese :
superficial
— lacking understanding or substance
Romanian :
superficial
— lacking understanding or substance
Russian :
неглубо́кий
(neglubókij)
— lacking understanding or substance
Russian :
пове́рхностный
(povérxnostnyj)
— lacking understanding or substance
Scottish Gaelic :
faoin
— lacking understanding or substance
Spanish :
superficial
— lacking understanding or substance
Swedish :
ytlig
— lacking understanding or substance
Turkish :
yüzeysel
— lacking understanding or substance
Turkish :
üstünkörü
— lacking understanding or substance
Yiddish :
אויבנאויפֿיק
(oybnoyfik)
— lacking understanding or substance
Zazaki :
payaser
— lacking understanding or substance
Finnish :
kaksiulotteinen
— two-dimensional, drawn on a flat surface
