scheinbar
Translation
apparent, seeming, ostensible
Examples
Er war scheinbar krank.
He was apparently ill.
Das ist nur ein scheinbarer Widerspruch.
That is only an apparent contradiction.
Grammar Patterns
scheinbar + adjective/adverb apparently ... He is apparently happy.
Similar Words
Synonyms: anscheinend (apparently); Antonyms: tatsächlich (actually), wirklich (really)
Etymology
From 'Schein' (appearance, shine) + '-bar' (suffix like '-able' or '-ly'). Literally 'appearance-ly'.
Memory Tips
'Schein' means appearance or illusion. 'scheinbar' implies something appears to be true but might not be.