apparently
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
used to say that you have heard something is true, but you are not completely certain.
used to indicate that information has been acquired through hearsay or reports rather than direct experience.
Simple“Apparently, the new restaurant in town is very expensive, but I haven't been there yet.”
In context“Apparently, the board of directors has already reached a decision, though an official announcement is not expected until later this week.”
UsageOften placed at the beginning of a sentence to qualify the entire statement.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
used to describe something that seems to be true because of how it appears.
used to describe a situation as it appears on the surface, which may or may not reflect the underlying reality.
Simple“He was apparently calm during the interview, but his hands were shaking under the table.”
In context“The two companies are apparently competitors, yet they share several key patents and frequently collaborate on research projects.”
Synonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
in a way that is easy to see or understand.
in a clear, manifest, or obvious manner. This sense is less common in modern speech than the hearsay sense.
Simple“The truth of his statement was apparently clear to everyone in the room.”
In context“The structural flaws in the bridge were apparently visible even to the untrained eye, yet the warnings went unheeded for years.”
Teacher's tipIn modern English, this 'obvious' sense is rare; learners should primarily use 'apparently' to mean 'I heard that...'.
Usage apparently contradictory · apparently unrelated
“Now that I write this story down, I see that it is not that sad, because that is one seriously nice guy (and the city is also nice, apparently).”
“Apparently, the two composers got legless and by the time Bruckner arrived back home, he could no longer remember which symphony the master preferred.”
From apparent + -ly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.