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"
of little substance or significance; "a few superficial editorial changes"; "only trivial objections"
relating to a surface; "superficial measurements"; "the superficial area of the wall"
upright in position or posture; "an erect stature"; "erect flower stalks"; "for a dog, an erect tail indicates aggression"; "a column still vertical amid the ruins"; "he sat bolt upright"
expressing or feeling or resulting from sympathy or compassion or friendly fellow feelings; disposed toward; "sympathetic to the students' cause"; "a sympathetic observer"; "a sympathetic gesture"
(of characters in literature or drama) evoking empathic or sympathetic feelings; "the sympathetic characters in the play"
of or relating to the sympathetic nervous system; "sympathetic neurons"; "sympathetic stimulation"
aware or expressing awareness of things as they really are; "a realistic description"; "a realistic view of the possibilities"; "a realistic appraisal of our chances"; "the actors tried to create a realistic portrayal of the Africans"
of or relating to the philosophical doctrine of realism; "a realistic system of thought"