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Superficial is a general term meaning "regarding the surface", often metaphorically. Both in the literal as in the metaphorical sense the term has often a negative connotation based on the idea that deeper parts are also important to consider. Wiktionary (a portmanteau of wiki and dictionary) is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 151 languages. ... An open surface with X-, Y-, and Z-contours shown. ... This article is about metaphor in literature and rhetoric. ...

In human anatomy, superficial describes objects near the body's surface as compared to other objects that may be deep. For example, skin is a superficial structure of the body and muscles are deep to skin. In addition, superficial muscles are those which are just under the skin, often the shape and size of which has an effect on a person's appearance.

Thus, the term is used to describe an observation or analysis that deals only with the most apparent and obvious features of some object, or phenomenon.

A superficial, or alternatively, an "over-simplified" argument is prone to many logical fallacies: including hasty generalization, division, composition and many others. In logic, an argument is a set of statements, consisting of a number of premises, a number of inferences, and a conclusion, which is said to have the following property: if the premises are true, then the conclusion must be true or highly likely to be true. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Fallacy. ... Hasty generalization, is a logical fallacy of faulty generalization by reaching an inductive generalization based on insufficient evidence. ... A fallacy of division occurs when someone reasons logically that something that is true of a thing must also be true of its constituents. ... A fallacy of composition arises when one claims the whole is true because its part is true. ...

A person who exhibits a "superficial" comprehension of some or many subjects may be negatively attributed as being shallow, materialistic, and even exhibiting false emotions through an exaggerated affect display. Occasionally they may be pseudointellectual. Consumerist redirects here. ... In psychology, affect display or affective display is a subjects externally displayed affect. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

The website http://www.thesuperficial.com/ comments on "superficial" news and events from popular culture. "The Superficial is a brutally honest look at society and its obsession with the superficial."

See also

• Shallow