Semblance

Definitions: Semblance

Semblance

Noun

1. Outward or token appearance or form; "he tried to give his actions a semblance of authenticity"; "the situation soon took on a different color".

2. An erroneous mental representation.

3. Picture consisting of a graphic image of a person or thing.

Date "semblance" was first used: 12th century. (references)

Etymology: Semblance \Sem"blance\, noun. [French expression See Semblable,]. (Websters 1913)

Synonyms: Semblance

Synonyms: color (n), colour (n), illusion (n), likeness (n). (additional references)

Context	Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus).
Copy	Image, picture, photo, xerox, similitude, semblance, ectype, photo offset, electrotype; imitation; model, representation, adumbration, study; portrait; (representation); resemblance.
Imitation	Mockery, mimicry; simulation, impersonation, personation; representation; semblance; copy; assimilation.
Probability	Vraisemblance, verisimilitude, plausibility; color, semblance, show of; presumption; presumptive evidence, circumstantial evidence; credibility.
Similarity	Noun: similarity, resemblance, likeness, similitude, semblance; affinity, approximation, parallelism; agreement; analogy, analogicalness; correspondence, homoiousia, parity.
Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus.

Crosswords: Semblance

English words defined with "semblance": camouflage, color, color of law, colour, colour of law ♦ disguise, distorted ♦ guise ♦ Iconism, It seems ♦ misrepresented, Missemblance ♦ perverted, pretence, pretense, pretext ♦ Seemer, Seemingness, Semblant, simulacrum ♦ twisted. (references)

Specialty definitions using "semblance": adverse intent ♦ GHOUL. (references)

Domain	Usage
Screenplays	Will you let me maintain some semblance of managerial control here? (Clerks.; writing credit: Kevin Smith)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Domain	Title
Books	A Semblance of Justice: St. Louis School Desegregation and Order in Urban America (reference) A Semblance of Peace (reference) Blanchefleur et le saint homme : ou, La semblance des reliques : étude comparée de littérature médiévale (reference) Semblance and Reality: Messianism in Biblical Perspective (reference) Semblance of Balance (reference) (more book examples)

Music	Semblance (reference) (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Title	Author	Quote
Les Miserables	Hugo, Victor	One of the guard, who had a hook on the end of his club, from time to time made a semblance of stirring up this heap of human ordure.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Subject	Topic	Quote
Political Economy	Nigeria	Significant progress has been made in restoring respect for basic human rights and in returning a semblance of market discipline to a few sectors of the economy. (references)
	Argentina	In the lead up to the October 2001 legislative elections, the Alianza coalition's recognition of the need to support Cavallo, in the face of serious economic conditions, helped to maintain at least a semblance of coalition unity. (references)
Lexicography	Devil's Dictionary	GHOUL, n. A demon addicted to the reprehensible habit of devouring the dead. The existence of ghouls has been disputed by that class of controversialists who are more concerned to deprive the world of comforting beliefs than to give it anything good in their place. In 1640 Father Secchi saw one in a cemetery near Florence and frightened it away with the sign of the cross. He describes it as gifted with many heads an an uncommon allowance of limbs, and he saw it in more than one place at a time. The good man was coming away from dinner at the time and explains that if he had not been "heavy with eating" he would have seized the demon at all hazards. Atholston relates that a ghoul was caught by some sturdy peasants in a churchyard at Sudbury and ducked in a horsepond. (He appears to think that so distinguished a criminal should have been ducked in a tank of rosewater.) The water turned at once to blood "and so contynues unto ys daye." The pond has since been bled with a ditch. As late as the beginning of the fourteenth century a ghoul was cornered in the crypt of the cathedral at Amiens and the whole population surrounded the place. Twenty armed men with a priest at their head, bearing a crucifix, entered and captured the ghoul, which, thinking to escape by the stratagem, had transformed itself to the semblance of a well known citizen, but was nevertheless hanged, drawn and quartered in the midst of hideous popular orgies. The citizen whose shape the demon had assumed was so affected by the sinister occurrence that he never again showed himself in Amiens and his fate remains a mystery.
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

"Semblance" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 100.00% of the time. "Semblance" is used about 211 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted)

Parts of Speech	Percent	Usage per 100 Million Words	Rank in English
Noun (singular)	100%	211	20,883

Expression using "semblance": semblance of peace. Additional references.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com.

Language		Translations for "semblance"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.
Albanian		pamje (air, aspect, face, landscape, likeness, look, make, mien, mode, outlook, outside, physiognomy, presence, prospect, rig, scene, scenery, shape, sight, spectacle, view, visage, vista), ngjasim (likeness, resemblance, saneness, similarity, similitude), dukje (appearance, display, face, look, make). (various references)

Arabic		‏مظهر خارجي (appearance, color, colour, face, front, likeness, outside, physiognomy, show), ‏مظهر (air, appearance, aspect, exhibitory, exterior, face, figure, form, guise, look, manifestation, mien, phase, presentation, shape, show, showing, visage), ‏شكل (accentuate, boil, cast, categorize, comprise, constitute, dot, fashion, form, formalize, format, frame, guise, likeness, make, modality, mode, model, mold, mould, punctuate, put together, shape, sort, style, trace, vocalize, way), ‏شبه (affinity, assimilate, compare, comparison, feature, imagine, like, liken, likeness, parallelism, propinquity, quasi-, resemblance, resemble, resole, sameness, similarity, similitude, take after). (various references)

Bulgarian		външен вид (exterior, face, outward, person, personage, superficies, trim), образ (effigy, face, figure, form, guise, idol, image, likeness, obverse, picture, representation, similitude, simulacrum, type, visage), подобие (analogue, analogy, effigy, likeness, parity, portrait, propinquity, replica, shadow, similarity, similitude, simulacrum). (various references)

Chinese		外衣 (appearance, outer clothing). (various references)

Czech		zdání (appearance, show), podoba (form, guise, image, likeness, resemblance, shape). (various references)

Farsi		قیافه (Countenance, Expression, Gesture, Leer, Look, Mien, Sight), تظاهر (Display, Grimace, Ostentation, Pretense, Pretension, Prudery), صورت ظاهر, ظن قوی , شباهت (Analog, Analogue, Analogy, Equality, Likeness, Propinquity, Proportion, Resemblance). (various references)

French		semblant, apparent (seeming), apparence. (various references)

German		Anschein (appearance, impression, seem, semblances). (various references)

Greek		όψη (aspect, complexion, countenance, elevation, face, facet, guise, look, obverse, scene, sight, subscheme, view, visage), εμφάνιση (apparition, appearance, developing, development, display, emergence, look, ontcropping, open, outcrop, surface edge), ομοιότησ (likeness, resemblance, similarity, similitude), ομοιότητα (affinity, closeness, likeness, resemblance, sameness, similarity, similitude). (various references)

Hebrew		מראית עין (appearance), מרא�" �"חצו� י (appearance, faחade, mien), �"מיון (correspondence, fancy, fantasy, imagination, like, likeness, resemblance, similarity), צלם (form, idol, image, likeness). (various references)

Hungarian		látszat (appearance, facade, gloss, guise, likelihood, likeness, make-believe, mockery, outside, presentment, pretence, pretense, shell), külszín (air, facade, face, outside, surface), hasonlat (image, metaphor, simile), hasonlóság (analogy, conformity, likeness, parallelism, resemblance, similarity, similitude). (various references)

Italian		parvenza (appearance, aspect, show), apparenza (appearance, aspect, color, colour, façade, guise, look, outside, show, sight, view). (various references)

Manx		cosoyley (affinity, analogy, instance, simile, symbol, symbolism). (various references)

Pig Latin		emblancesay

Portuguese		semelhança (affinity, community, identikit, likeness, Park, portrait, resemblance, sameness, similarity, similitude), retrato (double, image, likeness, photo, picture, portrait, portray, portrayal, representation, resemblance, still), parecença (resemblance, similarity, similitude), imagem (diagram, figure, form, frame, guest-card, idol, illustration, image, likeness, mirror, model, niche, picture, portrait, print, representation, resemblance, simulacrum), ilusão (chimaera, chimera, delusion, error detection, fallal, hallucination, idolater, illusion, lie, maybe, phantasm, unreality), aspecto exterior (form, guest-card, outside, shell, shew, show, surface, trappings), aparência (air, appearance, aspect, complexion, expression, exterior, external, garb, guise, likewise, look, make, perspective, shell, shew, show, sight, stalking horse, surface, veneer, view). (various references)

Romanian		simulacru (simulacrum), similitudine (propinquity, resemblance, similarity, similitude), reproducere (breeding, copy, ditto, facsimile, get, imitation, repetition, reproduction, trace), formã (appearance, block, cast, condition, configuration, conformation, conventionality, cut, external, fashion, fig, figuration, figure, form, format, guise, likeness, make, Mold, mould, pattypan, shape, size, structure), asemãnare (approach, comparison, congeniality, image, kindred, likeness, parallel, parallelism, propinquity, resemblance, sameness, similarity, similitude), înfãţişare (air, appearance, aspect, behavior, behaviour, cast, countenance, dash, description, face, figuration, figure, form, get, guise, hearing, lay, likeness, look, manner, mien, patina, physiognomy, presentation, representation, shape, similitude). (various references)

Russian		сходство (affinities, affinity, alikeness, analogy, congeniality, kinship, resemblance, sameness, similarities, similarity, similitude, simulitude), видимость (appearance, seemingness, seemings, simulacrum, visibility, visibly). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian		spoljašnjost (aspects, exterior, look, outness, outside), sličnost (kinship, likeness, resemblance, similarity, similitude, uniformity), znak (denotement, mark, marker, omen, pledge, sign, signal, symbol, symptom, telltale, token, wings). (various references)

Spanish		semblanza, aspecto (angle, appearance, aspect, caliber, calibre, countenance, exterior, forehead, guise, likeness, look, outward appearance, point, regard, shape, side, sight, turn, view), apariencia (appearance, illusion, likelihood, likeliness, look, outside, pretence, pretense, probability, seeming, shell, show, varnish, veneer). (various references)

Swedish		skepnad (figure, likeness, phantasm, phantom, shape). (various references)

Thai		สถานการ�"์ที่�"ูเหมือนจริง, การเสแสร้ง (feint, make-believe), ลักษ�"ะคล้ายกัน, รูปลักษ�"์� ายนอก. (various references)

Turkish		görüntü (blip, display, image, outlook, picture, sight, spectacle, view), görünüş (appearance, aspect, epiphany, face, facet, look, mien, outlook, sight, spectacle), dış görünüş (appearance, color, colour, disguise, externals, façade, fashion, get up, guise, rind, shape, shell, superficies, surface, the outer man, varnish), biçim (cast, configuration, conformation, face, fashion, figuration, form, format, genre, guise, make, mode, morpho-, shape, style), şekil (contour, face, figure, form, image, modality, morpho-, mould, shape, turn, wise). (various references)

Ukranian		видимість (apparition, appearance, ostensibility, seeing, seeming, visibility, visual range), зовнішність (exterior, externality, front, guise, mien, outside, outward, person, physique, seeming, surface), подоба (ostensibility, simulacrum). (various references)

Vietnamese		sự trông giống, sự l� m ra vẻ. (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

Language	Period	Translations
Latin	500 BCE-Modern	simulare. (various references)
Old French	900-1400	semblance, semblant. (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Derivations
	Words beginning with "semblance": semblances. (additional references)
	Words ending with "semblance": resemblance. (additional references)
	Words containing "semblance": resemblances. (additional references)
Misspellings
	"Semblance" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Sembach, sembalance, sembelance, Sembilan, semblancer, sembleance, semblence, semblnce. (additional references)
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

# of Phoneme Matches	Pronunciation	Word(s) rhyming with "semblance" (pronounced se"mbluns)
7	-e" m b l u n s	resemblance.
4	-l u n s	ambivalence, ambulance, balance, benevolence, condolence, counterbalance, equivalence, excellence, imbalance, insolence, nonviolence, opulence, parlance, pestilence, petulance, prevalence, silence, surveillance, turbulence, unbalance, Valence, vigilance, violence, virulence.
3	-u n s	abeyance, abhorrence, absence, abstinence, abundance, acceptance, accordance, acquaintance, acquiescence, adherence, admirations, admittance, adolescence, affluence, allegiance, alliance, allowance, ambiance, ambience, annoyance, appearance, appliance, arrogance, ascendance, assistance, assurance, attendance, audience, avoidance, belligerence, beneficence, bioscience, brilliance, cadence, capacitance, chrominance, circumference, clairvoyance, Clarence, clearance, coexistence, cognizance, coherence, coincidence, coinsurance, comeuppance, competence, compliance, concurrence, conference, confidence, confluence, conformance, congruence, connivance, conscience, consequence, consistence, continuance, contrivance, convalescence, convenience, convergence, conveyance, correspondence, countenance, counterintelligence, credence, dalliance, decadence, Defeasance, deference, defiance, deliverance, dependence, deterrence, deviance, difference, diligence, disallowance, disappearance, discontinuance, disobedience, dissidence, dissonance, distance, disturbance, divergence, dominance, ebullience, elegance, eloquence, emergence, eminence, endurance, entrance, essence, evanescence, evidence, existence, expedience, experience, extravagance, exuberance, flamboyance, Florence, forbearance, fragrance, furtherance, governance, grievance, guidance, hindrance, ignorance, immanence, imminence, impatience, impedance, importance, impotence, imprudence, inadvertence, incidence, incoherence, incompetence, incontinence, inconvenience, independence, indifference, inductance, indulgence, inexperience, inference, influence, inheritance, innocence, insignificance, insistence, instance, insurance, intelligence, interdependence, interference, intolerance, intransigence, invariance, irrelevance, irreverence, issuance, jurisprudence, licence, license, luminance, luminescence, maintenance, malfeasance, negligence, neuroscience, noncompliance, noninterference, nuisance, obedience, observance, obsolescence, occurrence, omnipotence, omnipresence, ordinance, Ordnance, overabundance, overconfidence, overdependence, overreliance, patience, penance, performance, permanence, persecutions, perseverance, persistence, phosphorescence, pittance, precedence, predominance, preeminence, preference, preponderance, prescience, presence, prominence, protuberance, provenance, Providence, province, prudence, pseudoscience, quintessence, radiance, reappearance, reassurance, recalcitrance, recognizance, reconnaissance, recurrence, reemergence, reference, reinspections, reinsurance, relevance, reliance, reluctance, remembrance, reminiscence, remittance, repentance, residence, resilience, resistance, resonance, resurgence, reticence, reverence, riddance, science, senescence, sentence, sequence, severance, significance, submergence, subservience, subsidence, subsistence, substance, sustenance, teleconference, temperance, tolerance, transcendence, transference, transience, utterance, variance, vehemence, vengeance, videoconference.
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams
	Words within the letters "a-b-c-e-e-l-m-n-s"
	-2 letters: absence, baleens, basemen, becalms, bemeans, benames, cleanse, enables, enamels, enlaces, menaces, scalene.
	-3 letters: abeles, ambles, aneles, baleen, becalm, became, bemean, bename, blames, cables, cabmen, camels, celebs, cleans, enable, enamel, encase, enemas, enlace, lances, lebens, lemans, macles, measle, menace, mensae, mensal, mescal, seamen, seance, seneca.
	-4 letters: abele, ables, acmes, acnes, alecs, almes, amble, amens.
	Words containing the letters "a-b-c-e-e-l-m-n-s"
	+1 letter: lambencies, semblances.
	+2 letters: compensable, resemblance.
	+3 letters: ambivalences, amicableness, resemblances.
	+4 letters: commensurable.
	+5 letters: amicablenesses, comparableness, compatibleness, indecomposable.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.