seem

Seem is an English verb used to express that something appears to be true or likely, often reflecting the speaker’s judgment rather than a definite fact. It signals an impression or hypothesis rather than certainty, and it can convey nuance about evidence, appearance, or probability. The meaning is closely related to appear, but seem emphasizes the speaker’s perspective or hedged assessment.

Grammatical usage and structure: Seem is generally intransitive and governs a complement, such as a that-clause, an infinitive clause, or a predicative adjective or noun. Examples include: “It seems that the project will succeed,” “She seems tired,” and “He seems to have forgotten.” The complement can be an adjective (tired, likely), a noun phrase (a nice person), or a past participle phrase (gone, ready). It can also appear with negation: “That does not seem right.”

Variations and patterns: Seem can take to-infinitives (seem to be, seem to have) and is often used with hedging language to express uncertainty or estimation: “This plan seems to be working,” “The results seem likely.” It is common in both spoken and written English and frequently functions to soften statements or present conclusions as provisional.

Relation to synonyms and contrasts: Seem is more subjective than look, which describes outward appearance, and it often implies inference or doubt about the truth of a statement. It pairs with epistemic nuance that differs from more decisive verbs. Etymologically, seem hails from Germanic roots and has cognates in related languages, such as Dutch schijnen and German scheinen, all sharing the sense of appearing or being perceived.