appearance
2 ENTRIES FOUND:
plural
appearances
plural
appearances
Britannica Dictionary definition of APPEARANCE
1
somewhat formal
:
the way that someone or something looks
[count]
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The room has a neat/fresh/clean appearance. [=look]
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The general appearance of the house is quite good.
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The museum restored the painting to its original appearance.
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lotions that improve your skin's appearance and texture
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It minimizes the appearance of wrinkles. [=it makes wrinkles more difficult to see]
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You shouldn't judge a man by his appearance.
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Have you noticed any changes in her appearance?
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He's very proud of his physical appearance. [=the way he looks]
[noncount]
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He is still very youthful in appearance. [=he still looks very young]
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They are very similar in appearance. [=they look the same]
2
[count]
:
a way of looking that is not true or real
-
He appears to be happy, but appearances can be deceptive/deceiving.
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Their expensive home created a false appearance of success and happiness.
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The furniture has the appearance of being made by hand. [=the furniture was not made by hand but it looks/appears as if it was]
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Despite appearances, her company is very successful. = Appearances to the contrary, her company is very successful. [=her company is very successful even though it does not appear to be]
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She is only attending the banquet for the sake of appearances. [=because people think that she should attend]
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He was, to/by all (outward) appearances, a happily married man. [=he seemed to be a happily married man, but he wasn't]
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Their meetings tend to take on the appearance of [=to look like] family gatherings.
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His white beard gave him the appearance of an old man. [=made him look like an old man]
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The playground gives every appearance of being a safe place for children [=the playground appears to be a safe place for children], but a tragic accident occurred there recently.
3
[count]
:
the action of appearing
:
the fact that something or someone arrives or begins to be seen
— usually singular
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The appearance of buds on the trees tells us that spring has arrived.
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We were surprised by the appearance of smoke in the distance.
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I wasn't expecting him to come and was surprised by his sudden appearance. [=I was surprised when he suddenly appeared/arrived]
4
[count]
:
the time when something begins to exist or is seen for the first time
— usually singular
-
The appearance [=creation] of the Internet has changed our culture in many ways.
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The technology made its first appearance [=appeared for the first time] in the early 1980s.
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Before the appearance of the telephone, people sent messages by telegraph.
5
[count]
:
an act of being seen or heard by the public as an actor, politician, athlete, etc.
— often used with make
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He has announced that this will be his final/last appearance with the band. [=the last time that he will perform in public with the band]
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This is her first appearance [=the first time that she has competed] at/in the national championships.
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She is making her first appearance at/in the national championships.
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Tonight, he is making his first public appearance since winning the award.
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He'll be making a special guest appearance [=performing as a guest] on the popular television show next fall.
6
[count]
:
the formal act of going in front of a person or group to speak, answer questions, etc.
— often + before
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One man has been convicted of the crime, and two others are awaiting court appearances. [=waiting to go to court]
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He is awaiting his appearance before a judge.
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She made an appearance before Congress last year.
keep up appearances
:
to hide something bad by pretending that nothing is wrong
-
Although they were getting a divorce, my parents thought it was important to keep up appearances.
make an appearance
or put in an appearance
:
to go to an event, gathering, etc., usually for a short period of time
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The candidate made an appearance at the rally.
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The governor put in an appearance at the party.
