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semblance

noun [U]
 
 
/ˈsem.bləns/ formal

Definition

a situation or condition that is similar to what is wanted or expected, but is not exactly as hoped for: The city has now returned to some semblance of normality after last night's celebrations. He was executed without even the semblance of a fair trial.Seeming and purporting to beFaking and pretending
(Definition of semblance noun from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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