seem

[seem] /sim/
verb (used without object)
1.
to appear to be, feel, do, etc.:
She seems better this morning.
2.
to appear to one's own senses, mind, observation, judgment, etc.:
It seems to me that someone is calling.
3.
to appear to exist:
There seems no need to go now.
4.
to appear to be true, probable, or evident:
It seems likely to rain.
5.
to give the outward appearance of being or to pretend to be:
He only seems friendly because he wants you to like him.
Origin
1150-1200; Middle English seme < Old Norse sœma to befit, beseem, derivative of sœmr fitting, seemly; akin to sōmi honor
Synonyms
4. Seem, appear, look refer to an outward aspect that may or may not be contrary to reality. Seem is applied to something that has an aspect of truth and probability: It seems warmer today. Appear suggests the giving of an impression that may be superficial or illusory: The house appears to be deserted. Look more vividly suggests the use of the eye (literally or figuratively) or the aspect as perceived by the eye: She looked very much frightened.
Examples from the web for seem
  • Both seem to have honored the spirit of the agreement.
  • So far, pragmatism and dialogue seem to have prevailed.
  • Animals and plants seem to be prospering near the infamous nuclear reactor.
  • Highly creative people often seem weirder than the rest of us.
  • Greenlanders themselves seem torn about climate change.
  • If you've never cooked live crabs, it can seem a little intimidating.
  • Scientists don't know why some moments seem to last longer than others.
  • Widespread excerpting would seem to make pay models harder to impose.
  • Not a single professor rose to question those decisions, nor did anyone seem to give a thought to how their students would pay.
  • The human impulse to be kind to unknown individuals is not the biological aberration it might seem.
British Dictionary definitions for seem

seem

/siːm/
verb (may take an infinitive)
1.
(copula) to appear to the mind or eye; look: this seems nice, the car seems to be running well
2.
to give the impression of existing; appear to be: there seems no need for all this nonsense
3.
used to diminish the force of a following infinitive to be polite, more noncommittal, etc: I can't seem to get through to you
Derived Forms
seemer, noun
like1
Word Origin
C12: perhaps from Old Norse soma to beseem, from sœmr befitting; related to Old English sēman to reconcile; see same
Word Origin and History for seem
v.

c.1200, "to appear to be;" c.1300, "to be fitting, be appropriate, be suitable," though the more recent sense in English is the etymological one; from Old Norse soema "to honor; to put up with; to conform to (the world, etc.)," verb derived from adjective soemr "fitting," from Proto-Germanic *somi- (cf. Old English som "agreement, reconciliation," seman "to conciliate," source of Middle English semen "to settle a dispute," literally "to make one;" Old Danish some "to be proper or seemly"), from PIE *som-i-, from root *sem- "one, as one" (see same). Related: Seemed; seeming.