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Vinony

superficial

adjective

  1. concerned only with surface appearance, not deep
  2. on/near the surface
L42793 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˌsuːpəˈfɪʃəl/ / [ˌsʊu̯pəˈfɪʃəl] ~ [ˌsʊu̯pəˈfɪʃl̩] / /ˌsupɚˈfɪʃəl/

adj

Etymology: Borrowing from Late Latin superficiālis (“of or belonging to the surface”), from superficiēs (“top, surface”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix).

  1. Existing, occurring, or located on the surface.
  2. Existing, occurring, or located on the surface.

    “superficial muscles”

    “The epidermis is superficial to the subcutis.”

  3. Appearing to be true or real only until examined more closely.
  4. Not thorough, deep, or complete; concerned only with the obvious or apparent.

    “Secondly, I continue to base my concepts on intensive study of a limited suite of collections, rather than superficial study of every packet that comes to hand.”

  5. Not thorough, deep, or complete; concerned only with the obvious or apparent.

    “These infamous little green men appeared during the decisive seizures or buildings and facilities, only to disappear when associated militias and local troops arrived to consolidate the gains. In this way they provided a measure of deniability—however superficial or implausible—for Moscow.⁴⁰”

  6. Two-dimensional; drawn on a flat surface.
  7. Denoting a quantity of a material expressed in terms of area covered rather than linear dimension or volume.

    “one superficial foot”

noun

Etymology: Borrowing from Late Latin superficiālis (“of or belonging to the surface”), from superficiēs (“top, surface”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix).

  1. A surface detail.

    “He always concentrates on the superficials and fails to see the real issue.”