appearance Hear it!

appearance Definition

ap·pear·ance (-əns)

noun

  1. the act or an instance of appearing
  2. the look or outward aspect of a person or thing
  3. anything that appears; thing seen
  4. Archaic an apparition
  5. an outward show; pretense to give the appearance of being busy
  6. the way things seem to be from all appearances he's innocent

Etymology: ME aparaunce < OFr aparance < LL apparentia < apparere, appear

appearance Idioms

keep up appearances

to maintain an outward show of being proper, decorous, well-off, etc.

make an appearance

  1. to put in an appearance
  2. to appear publicly

put in an appearance

to be present for a short time, as at a party, meeting, etc.

appearance Synonyms

appearance

n.

  1. Looks

    look, looks, aspect, features, exterior, countenance, face, bearing, demeanor, mien, manner, condition, presentation, carriage, cast, air, fashion, attitude, stamp, expression, lineaments, guise, dress, outline, contour, visage, form, shape, semblance, color, port, presence, posture, pose, figure, outward form, character, makeup, cut of one's jib*.

    Antonyms mind*, personality, soul.

  2. Outward show

    show, pretense, façade, semblance, guise, impression, idea, image, mask, surface, mirage, illusion, seeming, surface show, false front, exterior, pose, face, veneer, vision, aura, shadow, simulacrum, front*, window dressing*.

    Antonyms reality, fact*, substance.

  3. The act of appearing

    arrival, advent, coming, presentation, representation, exhibition, unveiling, display, emergence, rise, introduction, occurrence, manifestation, actualization, materialization, debut, entrance, publication.

    Antonyms departure*, going, vanishing.

appearance and look refer generally to the outward impression of a person or thing, but the former often implies mere show or pretense gave an appearance of honesty, and the latter (often in the plural) refers specifically to physical details the forlorn look of an abandoned house, good looks; aspect, in this comparison, also refers to physical features, esp. to facial expression a man of morose aspect or to visual effect at a given time or place in spring the yard had a refreshing aspect; semblance, which refers to the outward impression as contrasted with the inner reality, usually does not imply deception a semblance of order, while guise is usually used of a deliberately misleading appearance under the guise of patriotism

keep up appearances

be outwardly proper, hide one's faults or failures, put up a front*, keep up with the Joneses*; see deceive, pretend 1.

make<strong> or </strong>put in an appearance<strong>

appear, appear publicly, come, show up*; see appear 3, arrive 1.

appearance Law Definition

n

  1. The coming into a court to participate in a court proceeding by a party who has been validly served process or by a party who is voluntarily submitting itself to the court’s jurisdiction.
  2. The coming into a court to participate in a court proceeding by a witness or an interested person or by a lawyer acting on behalf of a party or interested person.
compulsory appearance
An appearance by one who is required to do so because he has been validly served with process.
entry of appearance
The formal act of an attorney notifying a court of his representation of a party to the proceedings, either by written document, or orally in open court.
general appearance
An appearance wherein a party consents to the court’s jurisdiction and waives the ability to later contest the court’s authority to reach a binding decision against her in the case.
initial appearance
A criminal defendant’s first appearance in court. Usually, this is when the charges are read to the defendant or the defendant is given a copy of the charges, the defendant is advised of his rights and enters a plea, and the amount of bail (if bail is not denied) is determined. See also arraignment and presentment.
special appearance
An appearance made for the sole reason of contesting the court’s jurisdiction over the defendant.
voluntary appearance
An appearance by one who has not yet been served with process in the case.
appearance Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • make: The first to make an appearance is the father.
  • enhance: It had suffered from various abuses over the years and did not exactly enhance the appearance of our " Classic Freeman Cruiser " .
  • alter: The need for users to be aware of the options contained within web browsers enabling them to alter the appearance of web pages.
  • improve: A black card placed behind the tubes will also improve appearance.

Converse of subject

  • deceive: There are few that have duly considered the case; few that are not deceived by appearances.

Adjective modifier

  • sudden: But it is often the rider rather than the horse that is upset by their sudden noisy appearance.
  • physical: Strength of strength A strong, dominant physical appearance can go a way in your favor.
  • smart: Business: Business is conducted in a fairly formal manner and a smart appearance is important.
  • external: There is no difference in external appearance or rifling and they are easily confused.
  • visual: In addition, the new Object panel provides localized stacking control of multiple attributes for unlimited and unique visual appearances.
  • brief: Alam just put in a brief appearance this morning.

Noun used with modifier

  • cameo: During this period Frankie should have cemented his comeback with a cameo appearance that would have been seen the world over.
  • guest: Watch out for special guest star appearances throughout the festival.
  • first-team: He went on to make 62 first-team appearances for the Lions, scoring four goals.
  • league: He totalled 40 league appearances for Liverpool scoring once.
  • debut: Carnival clubs from Bradford and Harrogate have made their debut appearance at Leeds.
  • TV: Your first TV appearance... Did you have nerves?

Preposition: of

  • wrinkle: They are highly effective at reducing the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines and dark spots and smoothing out skin roughness.
  • cellulite: The tiny grains of olive stone gently remove dead skin cells, while ocean seaweed helps prevent and reduce the appearance of cellulite.

Preposition: as

  • substitute: He has also scored once for Leyton's first team this season for whom he has made four starts and 11 appearances as substitute.
appearance Quotes

Garde-toi, tant que tu vivras, De juger des gens sur la mine. Beware as long as you live, Of judging others according to appearance alone.

—La Fontaine,Jean de

Political language†is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.

—Orwell, George pseudonym of  Eric Arthur Blair

In science men have discovered an activity of the very highest value in which they are no longer, as in art, dependent for progress upon the appearance of continually greater genius, for in science the successors stand upon the shoulders of their predecessors; where one man of supreme genius has invented a method, a thousand lesser men can apply it.

—Russell, Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl

In youth Beatrice had been attractive, but what was attractive about her was not her appearance but her disposability.

—Brookner, Anita

Concerning the gods I am not in a position to know either that they are or that they are not, or what theyare like in appearance; for there are many things that are preventing knowledge, the obscurity of the matter and the brevity of human life.

—Protagoras

Wit, you know, is the unexpected copulation of ideas, the discoveryof some occult relation between imagesin appearance remote from each other.

—Johnson, Samuel known as Dr Johnson

Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the L seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the L looketh on the heart.

—Bible (Old Testament)

La femme†sait que quand on la regarde on ne la distingue pas de son apparence: elle est juge¤  e, respecte¤  e, de¤  sire¤  e a'   travers sa toilette. Woman†knows that when she is looked at she is not considered apart from her appearance: she is judged, respected, desired, by and through her toilette.

—de Beauvoir, Simone