seem
verb
Simple meaning
to give the impression of being something or doing something
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
seemIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈsim
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
copulative
Appear to one's own mind or opinion
“I seem to be misunderstood by everyone.”
copulative
To appear; to look outwardly; to be perceived as.
copulative
Appear to exist
“There seems no reason to go ahead with the project now.”
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Appear to one's own mind or opinion
Used this way, seem is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“I seem to be misunderstood by everyone.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “seem to …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: seem to …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use seem
- “There seems no reason to go ahead with the project now.”verb
- “I seem to be misunderstood by everyone.”verb
- “It seems that he is very gifted.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.