superficial

adj

1. (relational)Existing, occurring, or located on the surface.
2. (often, relational)Existing, occurring, or located on the surface.

   “superficial muscles”

   “The epidermis is superficial to the subcutis.”

   “The superficial fascia surrounds the body and includes subcutaneous fat; the deep fascia surrounds the musculoskeletal system; the meningeal fascia surrounds the nervous system; the visceral fascia surrounds body cavities and organs.”

3. Appearing to be true or real only until examined more closely.
4. Not thorough, deep, or complete; concerned only with the obvious or apparent.

   “Secondly, I continue to base my concepts on intensive study of a limited suite of collections, rather than superficial study of every packet that comes to hand.”

5. Not thorough, deep, or complete; concerned only with the obvious or apparent.

   “These infamous little green men appeared during the decisive seizures or buildings and facilities, only to disappear when associated militias and local troops arrived to consolidate the gains. In this way they provided a measure of deniability—however superficial or implausible—for Moscow.⁴⁰”

6. (rare)Two-dimensional; drawn on a flat surface.
7. (British)Denoting a quantity of a material expressed in terms of area covered rather than linear dimension or volume.

   “one superficial foot”

noun

1. (plural-normally)A surface detail.

   “He always concentrates on the superficials and fails to see the real issue.”