superficial

English

Etymology

From Latin superficiālis.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

superficial (comparative more superficial, superlative most superficial)

1. Shallow, lacking substance.
2. At face value.
   • 1992, Rudolf M. Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, page vii

     Secondly, I continue to base my concepts on intensive study of a limited suite of collections, rather than superficial study of every packet that comes to hand.

3. Of or pertaining to the surface.
4. Being near the surface.
5. (rare) Two-dimensional; drawn on a flat surface.

Synonyms

• (of or pertaining to the surface): surficial

Antonyms

• in-depth
• thorough
• (lacking substance): substantive

Translations

shallow, lacking substance

• Arabic: سَطْحِيّ‏‎ (saṭḥiyy)
• Bengali: উদাসীন (udasin)
• Catalan: superficial (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 膚淺 (zh), 肤浅 (zh) (fūqiǎn)

• Czech: povrchní
• Dutch: oppervlakkig (nl)
• Esperanto: supraĵa
• Estonian: pinnapealne
• Finnish: pinnallinen (fi)
• French: superficiel (fr)
• Georgian: ზედაპირული (zedaṗiruli)
• German: oberflächlich (de)

• Greek: ρηχός (el) (richós), αβαθής (el) (avathís)
• Hindi: सतही (sathī)
• Hungarian: felszínes (hu)
• Icelandic: yfirborðskenndur
• Italian: superficiale (it)
• Polish: powierzchowny (pl)
• Portuguese: superficial (pt)
• Romanian: superficial (ro) m, superficială f
• Russian: неглубо́кий (ru) m (neglubókij), пове́рхностный (ru) m (povérxnostnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: faoin
• Spanish: superficial (es)
• Swedish: ytlig (sv)
• Turkish: yüzeysel (tr), üstünkörü (tr)

at face value

of or pertaining to the surface

• Catalan: superficial (ca)
• Georgian: ზედაპირული (zedaṗiruli)
• Latin: superficiālis
• Portuguese: superficial (pt)

• Russian: пове́рхностный (ru) m (povérxnostnyj)
• Spanish: superficial (es)
• Turkish: yüzeysel (tr)

being near the surface

• Maori: ākahu
• Portuguese: superficial (pt)

• Russian: пове́рхностный (ru) (povérxnostnyj)

Noun

superficial (plural superficials)

1. (chiefly in plural) A surface detail.

   He always concentrates on the superficials and fails to see the real issue.

Related terms

• superfice (archaic)

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Catalan

Adjective

superficial (masculine and feminine plural superficials)

1. superficial

Related terms

• superfície

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Galician

Adjective

superficial m, f (plural superficiais)

1. superficial
2. surficial; of the surface

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Portuguese

Adjective

superficial

1. Shallow, lacking substance.

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Spanish

Adjective

superficial (plural superficiales)

1. surficial
2. shallow, lacking substance.

Related terms

• superficie