Appear and Seem

Appear

Appear verb - To give the impression of being.
Usage example: it appears that he doesn't hear you

Seem is a synonym for appear in activity topic. In some cases you can use "Seem" instead a verb "Appear", when it comes to topics like behaviour, perception, comparison, look. popular alternative

Nearby Words: appearance, appearing

Seem

Seem verb - To give the impression of being.
Usage example: I tried to cheer them up because they seemed depressed
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Synonyms for Seem

Appear is a synonym for seem in activity topic. You can use "Appear" instead a verb "Seem", if it concerns topics such as behaviour, perception, comparison, appearance. popular alternative

Nearby Words: seeming, seemingly

Common collocations

people appear people seem people
role appear role seem role
part appear part seem part
name appear name seem name
Other words: place, couple, time, way, characters, bit, eyes, times.

Both words in one sentence

  • Or so it would appear; he really just slows others' perception of time to make himself seem fast.
    Source: Code Name
  • Literature / Those Who Hunt the Night Perception Filter: When vampires seem to appear or disappear, it's really a psychic perception filter causing the observer to be distracted at the crucial moment.
  • Video Game / Perfect Dark The Skedar also seem to like etching their symbol into every available surface and sculptures of it appear all over the place in the Battle Shrine.
Cite this Source
Seem and Appear. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 16, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/appear/seem
Appear & Seem. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/appear/seem>.
Seem or Appear. 2016. Accessed August 16, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/appear/seem.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "appear" and "seem" have occurred on timeline