Superficial \Su`per*fi"cial\, a. [L. superficialis: cf. F. superficiel. See Superficies.]

1. Of or pertaining to the superficies, or surface; lying on the surface; shallow; not deep; as, a superficial color; a superficial covering; superficial measure or contents; superficial tillage. [1913 Webster]

2. Reaching or comprehending only what is obvious or apparent; not deep or profound; shallow; -- said especially in respect to study, learning, and the like; as, a superficial scholar; superficial knowledge. [1913 Webster]

This superficial tale Is but a preface of her worthy praise. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

He is a presumptuous and superficial writer. --Burke. [1913 Webster]

That superficial judgment, which happens to be right without deserving to be so. --J. H. Newman. [1913 Webster] -- Su`per*fi"cial*ly, adv. -- Su`per*fi"cial*ness, n. [1913 Webster]

Source: The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
 

208 Moby Thesaurus words for "superficial": 3-D, airy, amateur, amateurish, ankle-deep, apparent, appearing, arid, asinine, barren, birdbrained, birdwitted, blah, blank, bloodless, catchpenny, characterless, cold, colorless, conventionalized, cortical, cosmetic, critical, cubic, cursory, dabbling, dead, depthless, dilettante, dilettantish, dimensional, dismal, draggy, drearisome, dreary, dry, dryasdust, dull, dusty, effete, elephantine, empty, epidermal, epidermic, etiolated, exomorphic, expeditious, exterior, external, extrinsic, fade, fatuous, featherbrained, festinate, feverish, few, flat, flighty, flimsy, fluffy, flying, foolish, footling, formal, formalist, formalistic, formulary, fourth-dimensional, fribble, fribbling, fringe, frivolous, frothy, furious, futile, general, half-assed, half-baked, half-cocked, hasty, heavy, ho-hum, hollow, hurried, idle, immature, immediate, impersonal, inane, inconsequential, inconsiderable, inexcitable, insignificant, insipid, instant, insubstantial, jejune, knee-deep, last-minute, leaden, legalistic, lifeless, light, little, low, low-spirited, meager, meaningless, miniature, negligible, no great shakes, nominal, not deep, nugacious, nugatory, on the spot, on the surface, open, ostensible, otiose, out, outer, outermost, outlying, outmost, outside, outstanding, outward, outward-facing, pale, pallid, passing, pedantic, pedestrian, perfunctory, peripheral, petty, picayune, picayunish, plodding, pointless, poky, ponderous, prompt, proportional, public, quick, roundabout, sciolistic, seeming, shallow, shallow-headed, shallow-minded, shallow-pated, shallow-rooted, shallow-witted, shoal, short, silly, sketchy, skin-deep, slap-bang, slapdash, slender, slight, slow, small, smattering, snap, solemn, sophomoric, space, space-time, spatial, spatiotemporal, speedy, spherical, spiritless, stereoscopic, sterile, stiff, stodgy, stuffy, stylized, surface, swift, tasteless, tedious, thin, three-dimensional, tiny, trifling, trite, trivial, two-dimensional, uncritical, unimportant, unlively, unprofound, urgent, vacuous, vain, vapid, visible, volatile, volumetric, windy, wooden

Source: Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
 

superficial adj
1: being or affecting or concerned with a surface; not deep or penetrating emotionally or intellectually; "superficial similarities"; "a superficial mind"; "his thinking was superficial and fuzzy"; "superficial knowledge"; "the superficial report didn't give the true picture"; "only superficial differences" [ant: profound]
2: relating to a surface; "superficial measurements"; "the superficial area of the wall"
3: of little substance or significance; "a few superficial editorial changes"; "only trivial objections" [syn: trivial]
4: involving a surface only; "her beauty is only skin-deep"; "superficial bruising"; "a surface wound" [syn: skin-deep, surface(a)]

Source: WordNet (r) 2.0
 

Superficial \Su`per*fi"cial\, a. [L. superficialis: cf. F. superficiel. See Superficies.]

1. Of or pertaining to the superficies, or surface; lying on the surface; shallow; not deep; as, a superficial color; a superficial covering; superficial measure or contents; superficial tillage.

2. Reaching or comprehending only what is obvious or apparent; not deep or profound; shallow; -- said especially in respect to study, learning, and the like; as, a superficial scholar; superficial knowledge.

This superficial tale Is but a preface of her worthy praise. --Shak.

He is a presumptuous and superficial writer. --Burke.

That superficial judgment, which happens to be right without deserving to be so. --J. H. Newman. -- Su`per*fi"cial*ly, adv. -- Su`per*fi"cial*ness, n.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)