SEMBLANCE

[noun] [U] [slightly formal] - a situation or condition which is similar to what is wanted or expected, but is not exactly as desiredThe city has now returned to some semblance of normality after last night's celebrations.Mike has the job of creating some vague semblance of organization out of this chaos.In spite of her disability, she has been able to maintain a semblance of normal life.He was executed without even the semblance of a fair trial (= without anyone trying to make it seem that there had been a fair trial).