appearance — English Dictionary

Noun

1. The act of appearing or coming into sight; the act of becoming visible to the eye.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   His sudden appearance surprised me.

2. A thing seen; a phenomenon; an apparition.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   There was a strange appearance in the sky.

3. The way something looks; personal presence

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Synonyms

   aspectmienmakeface

   Examples

   And now am come to ſee of whom ſuch noiſe Hath walk'd about, and each limb to ſurvey, If thy appearance anſwer loud report.

   More examples (1)

   The most rapid and most seductive transition in all human nature is that which attends the palliation of a ravenous appetite.[…]Can those harmless but refined fellow-diners be the selfish cads whose gluttony and personal appearance so raised your contemptuous wrath on your arrival?

4. Apparent likeness; the way which something or someone appears to others.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   Some people say I'm shallow because I care so much about my appearance.

   More examples (2)

   KAWS’s first sculptures were limited edition toys for the Japanese brand Bounty Hunter, and the stylised figures distributed around YSP in a variety of postures – shielding their eyes from the sun, seated in apparent contemplation or leading a child-sized version of themselves over the sward – have the appearance of gigantic toys, with their instant legibility and machine-honed surfaces.

   And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning.

   Judge not according to the appearance.

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   'Never be taken in by false appearancesʻ was Swift's habitual satirical message. 'In most Corporeal Beings, which have fallen under my Cognizance, the Outside hath been infinitely preferable to the In,' he elsewhere proclaimed. … The sordid reality beneath the mask haunted him: was all civilisation just dirt and derangement at heart? […] Evidently man was not the homo rationalis he pretended to be but rather, at best, homo rationis capax ─ a creature capable of rationality, though by implication falling short.

5. That which is not substance, essence, hypostasis; the outward reality as opposed to the underlying reality

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   Catholicism teaches that the Eucharist, while remaining under the physical appearance of bread and wine, becomes really and truly the body and the blood of Christ.

6. The act of appearing in a particular place, or in society, a company, or any proceedings; a coming before the public in a particular character.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   A person makes his appearance as an historian, an artist, or an orator.

   David Beckham's first appearance with the LA Galaxy at Giants Stadium against the New York Red Bulls last night drew a crowd of 66237.

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   Will he now retire, After appearance, and again prolong Our expectation?

7. An instance of someone coming into a court of law to be part of a trial, lawsuit or other proceeding, either in person or represented by an attorney or such like; a court appearance

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

8. Chiefly used by nurses: the act of defecation by a patient.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   The patient had a small bowel obstruction and there was no appearance until after the obstruction resolved.

Noun

1. outward or visible aspect of a person or thing

   Synonyms

   visual aspect

   Broader terms

   quality

2. the event of coming into sight

   Antonyms

   disappearance

   Broader terms

   happeningoccurrenceoccurrentnatural event

3. formal attendance (in court or at a hearing) of a party in an action

   Synonyms

   appearingcoming into court

   Broader terms

   attendanceattending

4. a mental representation

   Broader terms

   representationmental representationinternal representation

   Examples

   I tried to describe his appearance to the police

5. the act of appearing in public view

   Antonyms

   disappearance

   Broader terms

   arrival

   Examples

   the rookie made a brief appearance in the first period

   it was Bernhardt's last appearance in America

6. pretending that something is the case in order to make a good impression

   Synonyms

   show

   Broader terms

   pretensepretencepretendingsimulationfeigning

   Examples

   they try to keep up appearances

   that ceremony is just for show