appearance

A2 Topic:Senses & Perception

US /əˈpiɹ.əns/ UK /əˈpɪə.ɹəns/ See IPA manual

Freq #3962

Meanings

1

noun
The way that someone or something looks.

She cares a lot about her appearance.
2

noun
The act of coming into sight or arriving.

His sudden appearance at the door surprised everyone.
3

noun
An act of taking part in public, such as on stage or in a game.

The singer made a brief appearance at the festival.
4

noun
An outward impression that may not match the truth.

They tried hard to keep up appearances after losing their money.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the way that someone or... aspect

2 noun · the act of coming into... arrival

4 noun · an outward impression that... show semblance

More debut

Opposites

non-appearancenonappearance

Word family

Forms appearances

Derived forms appearancedcoappearancedisappearancemisappearancereappearance

Related forms apparent appear

Appears in

Phrases (2)

See all

first appearance
the earliest occasion on which someone or something appears publicly

Adjective + noun
slovenly appearance
an untidy, poorly cared-for way of looking

Adjective + noun

Idioms (1)

See all

keep up appearances
To preserve an outward impression that everything is normal or successful despite underlying trouble.

Proverbs (4)

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Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French apparence, from Latin apparentia, from appareo. Morphologically appear + -ance. Doublet of apparence and apparency. Displaced native Old English hīew (“the way something looks or seems”) and ætīewednes (“act of appearing or coming into view”).

apparentia Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Senses & Perception

External links

# appearance

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /əˈpiɹ.əns/
**IPA (UK):** /əˈpɪə.ɹəns/
**Frequency rank:** 3962

## Meanings
1. The way that someone or something looks.
2. The act of coming into sight or arriving.
3. An act of taking part in public, such as on stage or in a game.
4. An outward impression that may not match the truth.

## Examples
- She cares a lot about her appearance.
- His sudden appearance at the door surprised everyone.
- The singer made a brief appearance at the festival.
- They tried hard to keep up appearances after losing their money.

## Synonyms
- debut

## Antonyms
- non-appearance
- nonappearance

## Derived Forms
- appearanced
- coappearance
- disappearance
- misappearance
- reappearance

## Related Forms
- apparent
- appear

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: apparentia
- Affix: -ance - state

## Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French apparence, from Latin apparentia, from appareo. Morphologically appear + -ance. Doublet of apparence and apparency. Displaced native Old English hīew (“the way something looks or seems”) and ætīewednes (“act of appearing or coming into view”).

## AI Etymology
Appearance is borrowed from Middle French apparence, from Latin apparentia, from appareo. Morphologically appear plus -ance. Doublet of apparence and apparency. Displaced native Old English hīew (“the way something looks or seems”) and ætīewednes (“act of appearing or coming into view”). The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern nominal form is built from the named base and affix.

## Topics
- Senses & Perception

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appearance

Meanings

Thesaurus

Appears in

Phrases (2)

Idioms (1)

Proverbs (4)

Etymology

Topics

External links

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