superficial

adjective

hasty and without attention to detail

occurring on or near the surface of the skin

of little substance or significance

of, affecting, or being on or near the surface

concerned with or comprehending only what is apparent or obvious

Roots

supersuper- · Latin · over, above facies-fic · Latin · face, form

Synonyms for superficial

sciolisticadj cursoryadj perfunctoryadj trivialadj shallowadj vapidadj vacuousadj dilettantishadj unimportantadj triteadj inconsequentialadj frivolousadj triflingadj meaninglessadj insignificantadj

Synonyms & related words for superficial

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of superficial — including sciolistic, cursory, perfunctory, trivial, shallow, vapid. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to superficial

Explore words related to superficial — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include sciolist, sciolism, superficialize, surficial, superficiality, smatteringly, superficially, cosmeticism. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for superficial

Common synonyms for superficial include sciolistic, cursory, perfunctory, trivial, shallow, vapid, vacuous, dilettantish — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does superficial come from?

The word superficial breaks down into 2 roots of Latin origin: super-, from Latin super (“over, above”); and -fic, from Latin facies (“face, form”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.