seem ‧ ing ‧ ly /ˈsiːmɪŋli/ BrE AmE adverb
1 . appearing to have a particular quality, when this may or may not be true SYN apparently :
seemingly unrelated bits of information
seemingly endless/impossible etc
The new minister was faced with a seemingly impossible task.
seemingly unaware/oblivious
Alice was standing in the street, seemingly oblivious to the rain.
2 . [sentence adverb] formal according to the facts as you know them SYN apparently :
There is seemingly nothing we can do to stop the plans going ahead.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ seemingly endless/limitless (=seeming to have no end or limit)
We motored south through Finland's seemingly endless pine forests.
▪ seemingly impossible
We are attempting to do something that is seemingly impossible.
▪ seemingly intractable (=seeming to be impossible deal with)
Unemployment remained a serious, seemingly intractable problem.
▪ seemingly unaware/oblivious (=seeming not to notice something)
She was seemingly unaware of all the activity around her.
▪ seemingly unrelated (=not seeming to be connected or related at all)
The police were investigating three seemingly unrelated murders.
▪ seemingly innocuous/innocent (=seeming unlikely to cause any problems)
Even seemingly innocuous questions can get an employer into trouble.