semblance

Preposition: of

• normality: I have been able to regain some semblance of normality in my life.
• legitimacy: Only Baghdad's obstruction of a serious international effort to readmit inspectors could provide any semblance of legitimacy to U.S. military action against Iraq.
• dignity: This way I can feel safely deluded that I continue to save my planet whilst retaining some semblance of dignity in the local community.
• unity: The man does not have to exert patriarchal control, just to keep a semblance of unity.
• democracy: The second factor is that some semblance of parliamentary democracy is returning.
• plot: Readers have to wait until chapter four before the semblance of a plot appears.

Converse of object

• regain: I have been able to regain some semblance of normality in my life.
• restore: A particular need is to begin restoring a semblance of civil society among the refugees.
• retain: Still at least one of you has retained a semblance of your regional accent.
• preserve: Forums and discussion threads have the advantage of preserving some semblance of context.
• maintain: We really need to maintain a semblance of normality here.
• destroy: The fragmentation of Charlemagne's realm continued, destroying any semblance of unity.

Adjective modifier

• human: Only Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos, is given a human semblance of intelligence.
• ghastly: With an awful spasm Mr. Carr jerked his congested features into the ghastly semblance of a smile.
• slight: Of course, anyone with even the slightest semblance of intelligence won't reply.
• only: They were the only semblance of a public authority presence outside the Boroughs.
• fair: Ere they departed, the family was welded once more into a fair semblance of unity.
• outer: Many have a partial moral nature; many who, having little or none, wear the outer semblance of one.