SKIN-DEEP Synonyms: 43 Similar and Opposite Words

skin-deep

adjective

ˈskin-ˈdēp

Definition of skin-deep

as in superficial

lying on or affecting only the outer layer of something fortunately, the cut was only skin-deep

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in shallow

having or showing a lack of depth of understanding or character the book provides some interesting anecdotes but only offers a skin-deep analysis of the events it chronicles

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of skin-deep The beauty of the island is not just skin-deep. — Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 18 Mar. 2026 If Clooney’s self-reflection feels skin-deep, Baumbach seems to undergo a thornier reckoning. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2025 Watch it for its skin-deep enticement, its powerful visual devices, but also its concealed malignancy. — Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 27 Oct. 2025 Her frugal philosophy is more than just skin-deep. — Preston Fore, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for skin-deep

Recent Examples of Synonyms for skin-deep

Adjective

The privileges of Jover’s life appear entirely superficial, even a bit alien, when contrasted with her granddaughter’s narrative thread.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Aug. 2026
So, when the next challenge arises, managers can move past superficial symptoms and identify the underlying organizational roadblocks.

— Julie Kratz, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of superficial

Adjective

At the southern end of the Everglades, where marshes and coastal wetlands are most starved for freshwater, peat has started to collapse, ripping open the shallow sawgrass marshes to leave behind deeper pits of open water.

— Jenny Staletovich, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
The small airplane crashed into the Seldovia Slough, a shallow waterway off Seldovia, a city of about 235 residents on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska.

— Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of shallow

Adjective

Massachusetts is equipped for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, intelligence gathering, surveillance, strike missions, special operations, and mine warfare.

— Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 18 Aug. 2026
Thanks to strong multi-surface suction, this upright vacuum can go right from the living room carpet to the kitchen without missing a beat (or a crumb).

— Kelsey Fogarty, PC Magazine, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of surface

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skin

skin-deep

skinflint

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“Skin-deep.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skin-deep. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of skin-deep

adjective

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