semblance.

An appearance or likeness that suggests a quality, whether or not the substance is present.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• a semblance of order
• preserve a semblance

On the page

They preserved a semblance of order by leaving the broken clock in place.

Her calm supplied a semblance of agreement no one dared test.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary. Forms: Singular semblance; plural semblances. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.