semblance

• Nom désignant une apparence ou une forme extérieure ou symbolique, souvent trompeuse ou illusoire, ou encore une représentation erronée de l'esprit, ou une image graphique d'une personne ou d'un objet.

A noun referring to an outward or token appearance or form that is deliberately misleading, or an erroneous mental representation, or a picture consisting of a graphic image of a person or thing.

1. Outward appearanceC1formal

   An external or superficial appearance, often deliberately misleading or not reflecting reality.

   Apparence extérieure

   • The company maintained a semblance of normalcy despite the crisis.
   • He tried to give a semblance of confidence, but his hands were shaking.
   • The peace treaty was merely a semblance of harmony.

   Synonymesappearanceaspectfacadeguiselookmaskpretenseshowveneer

2. Erroneous mental representationC2formal

   A false or mistaken idea or image in the mind.

   Représentation mentale erronée

   • His semblance of the situation was completely wrong.
   • The witness had only a semblance of what actually happened.
   • She operated under the semblance that she was in control.

3. Graphic image or likenessC1formal

   A picture or representation of a person or thing.

   Image ou représentation graphique

   • The artist created a semblance of the queen in marble.
   • The photograph was a perfect semblance of the original scene.
   • The ancient coin bore the semblance of a Roman emperor.

   Synonymesdepictioneffigyfigureimagelikenesspictureportrayalrepresentation