superficial
part of speech
adjective (superficial, more superficial, most superficial)
meaning for a pupil
1) A superficial wound or damage is only on the surface and not deep or serious: a superficial cut. tree →
2) Superficial means only looking at the outside or the obvious parts, not thinking deeply: a superficial reading of the text. tree →
3) A superficial person cares mostly about looks and unimportant things, not deep feelings or ideas. tree →
4) A superficial likeness is one that seems the same at first but is different underneath. tree →
sense in the lessons
Health and first aid: a superficial graze only needs cleaning and a plaster. Reading lessons: a superficial answer just copies words; a deeper answer explains why. Stories: a superficial character judges others by their clothes. Science: two animals may have a superficial likeness (a dolphin and a shark look alike, but one is a mammal and one is a fish).
examples
- It was only a superficial cut. tree →
- The car had superficial damage to its paint. tree →
- Your answer is a bit superficial; explain your reasons. tree →
- Don't be superficial and judge people by their trainers. tree →
- Dolphins and sharks have a superficial likeness. tree →
- The storm caused only superficial damage. tree →
- He had a superficial knowledge of football. tree →
note
Said «soo-per-FISH-ul». Adverb: superficially. Opposite: deep, thorough, profound. Not the same as «artificial» (made by people, not natural).
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «superficial» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.