Dictionary

seem en · VERB

Pronunciation

• [ˈsɪi̯m]
• (US) audio
• /ˈsɪjm/ (British, Southern, Standard)
• /ˈsiːm/

Etymology

From Middle English semen (“to seem, befit, be becoming”), from Old Norse sœma (“to conform to, beseem, befit”), from Proto-Germanic *sōmijaną (“to unite, fit”), from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one; whole”). Cognate with Scots seme (“to be fitting; beseem”), Danish sømme (“to beseem”), Old Swedish søma, Faroese søma (“to be proper”). Related also to Old Norse sómi (“honour”) ( > archaic Danish somme (“decent comportment”)), Old Norse sœmr (“fitting, seemly”), Old English sēman (“to reconcile, bring an agreement”), Old English sōm (“agreement”).

Meanings

1. (copulative) To appear; to look outwardly; to be perceived as.
   • She is seeming a bit down these days. Her eyes seem blue. It must have seemed to her she was safe. How'd she seem to you? He seems not to be at home. "It seems like rain". "It seems to me (to be) rather sleety."; "There seem to be a few problems."
   • Meanwhile Nanny Broome was recovering from her initial panic and seemed anxious to make up for any kudos she might have lost, by exerting her personality to the utmost. She took the policeman's helmet and placed it on a chair, and unfolded his tunic to shake it and fold it up again for him. 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
   • Their flight is rapid, with quick flutters of the wings, which seem never to be raised to the level of the body. 2016, Sclater, P. L., Hudson, W. H., Argentine Ornithology, Volume II (of II) - A Descriptive Catalogue of the Birds of the Argentine Republic, Read Books Limited:
   • That the young Mr. Churchills liked—but they did not like him coming round of an evening and drinking weak whisky-and-water while he held forth on railway debentures and corporation loans. Mr. Barrett, however, by fawning and flattery, seemed to be able to make not only Mrs. Churchill but everyone else do what he desired. 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter II, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
   • So while Ralph generally seems to inhabit a different, more glorious and joyful universe than everyone else here his yearning and heartbreak are eminently relateable. Ralph sometimes appears to be a magically demented sprite who has assumed the form of a boy, but he’s never been more poignantly, nakedly, movingly human than he is here. 2012 August 5, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “I Love Lisa” (season 4, episode 15; originally aired 02/11/1993)”, in AV Club:
   • He is so fayre, withoutten les, / he semys full well to sytt on des. 15th c., “[The Creation]”, in Wakefield Mystery Plays; Re-edited in George England, Alfred W. Pollard, editors, The Towneley Plays (Early English Text Society Extra Series; LXXI), London: […] Oxford University Press, 1897, →OCLC, page 5:
   • They burned the old gun that used to stand in the dark corner up in the garret, close to the stuffed fox that always grinned so fiercely. Perhaps the reason why he seemed in such a ghastly rage was that he did not come by his death fairly. Otherwise his pelt would not have been so perfect. And why else was he put away up there out of sight?—and so magnificent a brush as he had too.[…]. 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:
   • 1813 (14ᵗʰc.), Dante Alighieri, The Vision of Hell as translated by The Rev. H. F. Cary. He, from his face removing the gross air, / Oft his left hand forth stretch'd, and seem'd alone / By that annoyance wearied.
   • It seems a pity, but I can't see you this weekend.
2. (obsolete) To befit; to beseem.
   • And all within were pathes and alleies wide, With footing worne, and leading inward farre: Faire harbour that them seemes; so in they entred arre. 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene:

Forms

Deriveds

seemliness · seemlihood · seemless · meseems · seemly · can't seem · seemer · misseem · seemingly · seeming

Translations (120)

grc φαίνομαι (to appear) · fro senbler (to appear) · mk се чини (to appear) · sc parrere (to appear) · fr sembler (to appear) · tr gözükmek (to appear) · nn verka (to appear) · it sembrare (to appear) · km ហាក់ដូចជា (to appear) · gl parecer (to appear) · ko 보이다 (to appear) · cmn 看樣子 /看样子 (to appear) · is virðast (to appear) · ur دکھایا (to appear) · fro sambler (to appear) · vi hình như (to appear) · sc parriri (to appear) · uk здава́тися (to appear) · ang þyncan (to appear) · hi लगना (to appear) · ga taibhsigh (to appear) · ca semblar (to appear) · de dünken (to appear) · ia parer (to appear) · zza asayen (to appear) · sv synas (to appear) · ru сдава́ться (to appear) · te అనిపించు (to appear) · es parecer (to appear) · ja ...ように見える (to appear) · gl semellar (to appear) · rm parer (to appear) · vi dường như (to appear) · sk zdať sa (to appear) · cic ahooba (to appear) · cs zdát se (to appear) · hi दिखना (to appear) · eo ŝajni (to appear) · fi vaikuttaa (to appear) · cmn 顯得 /显得 (to appear) · qu rikch'ay (to appear) · grc δοκέω (to appear) · ca parèixer (to appear) · ka ჩანს (to appear) · la videor (to appear) · de vorkommen (to appear) · nl schijnen (to appear) · oc paréisser (to appear) · tr görünmek (to appear) · cmn 看起來 /看起来 (to appear) · ru показа́ться (to appear) · ko ~인 것 같다 (to appear) · mi ngia (to appear) · grc ἔοικα (to appear) · sl zdeti se (to appear) · ja ...そう (to appear) · el φαίνομαι (to appear) · nn synast (to appear) · sc parri (to appear) · nrf semblier (to appear) · fa به نظر آمدن (to appear) · ro părea (to appear) · sv tyckas (to appear) · bg струвам се (to appear) · ckb وا دیارە (to appear) · de scheinen (to appear) · pl wydać się (to appear) · hy թվալ (to appear) · cmn 看上去 (to appear) · az görünmək (to appear) · fa به نظر رسیدن (to appear) · cmn 好像 (to appear) · rm parair (to appear) · bg изглеждам (to appear) · pt parecer (to appear) · ee dze (to appear) · ar ظَهَرَ (to appear) · got 𐌲𐌰𐌿𐌼𐌾𐌰𐌽 (to appear) · mk изгледа (to appear) · ru каза́ться (to appear) · fro sanbler (to appear) · pl zdać się (to appear) · ar بَدَا (to appear) · he נראה (to appear) · cho ahoba (to appear) · fr avoir l'air (to appear) · nl lijken (to appear) · sat ᱧᱮᱞ (to appear) · grc εἴδομαι (to appear) · io semblar (to appear) · ur لگنا (to appear) · hu látszik (to appear) · ast paecer (to appear) · be здава́цца (to appear) · th ดูเหมือน (to appear) · ckb دیارە (to appear) · fro sembler (to appear) · it apparire (to appear) · sv förefalla (to appear) · vi có vẻ (to appear) · pl zdawać się (to appear) · fr paraître (to appear) · rup par (to appear) · nb synes (to appear) · da synes (to appear) · cic chihmi (to appear) · hu tűnik (to appear) · fur parê (to appear) · eu iruditu (to appear) · fi tuntua (to appear) · nrf pathaître (to appear) · fi näyttää (to appear) · rm pareir (to appear) · ja ...らしい (to appear) · pl wydawać się (to appear) · fy lykje (to appear) · ht sanble (to appear) · vo jinön (to appear) · sv verka (to appear) · it parere (to appear)