seemed
English meaning: Seemed
Definition
To appear; to look outwardly; to be perceived as.
Example
“He seems to be ill. Her eyes seem blue. It seems like it is going to rain later. How did she seem to you?”
Another example: “At first the puzzle seemed impossible, but the answer was simple.”
Usage — When, Where & How
Past tense of 'seem', linking a subject to an appearance or impression ('it seemed obvious', 'she seemed tired'). Extremely common across all registers; often followed by 'to', an adjective, or 'like'.
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
From Old Norse soema 'to honour, conform to', related to 'seemly', dating to the 12th century.
Related Words
- inevitable
- imminent
- destined
- unlikely
- confirm
- logical
- impossible
- promising
- enjoy
- obvious
Common Collocations
- seemed likely
- seemed to
- seemed obvious
- it seemed
- seemed reasonable
- seemed unaware
Word Forms
seem (v); seemed; seeming; seemingly (adv)
Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B