superficial

B2 · Upper Intermediate

adj. not thorough or deep; only looking at the most obvious parts of a problem or person.

adj. lacking depth of character, intellect, or serious thought; often used to describe analysis that ignores underlying complexities.

“He has a very superficial understanding of the city's history.”

“Critics argued that the documentary offered only a superficial treatment of a highly complex geopolitical crisis.”

C1 · Advanced Formal

adj. seeming to be real or true only until you look at it more closely.

adj. apparent rather than real; describing a quality that is evident on the surface but does not reflect the true nature of the subject.

“There is a superficial similarity between the two paintings, but the techniques are different.”

“Despite a superficial resemblance to his predecessor's policies, the new minister's approach was actually rooted in a different economic philosophy.”

C2 · Proficiency Technology British English · Technical

adj. describing a measurement of how much area something covers rather than its weight or length.

adj. denoting a quantity of material expressed in terms of surface area rather than volume or linear dimension.

“The builder calculated the superficial area of the walls to decide how much paint to buy.”

“The contract specified the cost of the timber in superficial feet, requiring a precise calculation of the total surface coverage for the flooring project.”