Definition of "Appearance"

The appearance definition isn’t as one might expect. The term itself is used in different ways, but they all are connected with perception or how something or someone is seen or perceived by another party. While appearance is also used to state the physical location, arrival, or presence of someone, for example, someone making an appearance by showing up in a particular place, the word is most often used from a philosophical perspective.

What is the Definition of Appearance?

The most well-grounded definition of appearance is the one that limits the term appearance into the physical. The act or fact of appearing is used to describe someone’s physical appearance in front of the eye and the mind of the public. This same meaning is often used as a term in legal practices for someone coming into a court proceeding.

However, going into the less grounded meanings and uses of the word, we get into the philosophical explanation. The term appearance, in philosophy, regards something or someone that seems to be based on the perception of a thing and not its objective reality. 

Through philosophy, the term appearance is used in contradiction with reality. From the cosmologies that governed Asia Minor to Plato, Kant, and Indian philosophy, there was a distinguishable difference between appearance and reality, the first not being a synonym of the other but, in a way, its opposite. The reason for that is that appearance is based on our perception of the truth, while the reality is based on facts and logic. Because of that, today’s usage of the term appearance is split. On the one hand, we have the physical appearance as presence; on the other, we have the manner, condition, state of appearance based on perception.

Some synonyms of the word appearance are air, aspect, arrival, coming, figure, look, manner, mien, presence, and pretense.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

Mortgage for an extended time period (e.g., 25 years) Type of real estate investment trust (REIT) that gives long-term mortgages to real estate developers and contractors on new or ...

U.S. tax law that consists of regulations and rules to be followed by taxpayers. The Internal Revenue Code of 1954 is continually revised and amended over time. ...

A business in which one or more person, with unlimited liability, called general partners, manage the partnership. There are also limited partners who contribute capital, but do not manage ...

Pitched roof that looks like a saw. ...

The apportioning, disbursing, dividing, offering, or parceling out of property among individuals. (1) Probate: Court order to divide up and distribute the contents of an estate after the ...

(1) Revising the selling price of real property to reflect what it would be worth if typical financing was available. (2) How much real property would be sold for if all cash was involved. ...

Fee simple estate is a term used to describe ownership or freehold of an estate and the type of ownership of an estate. The possessory interest, also referred to as fee (a word derived from ...

Methods of owning real estate. Ownership form has important consequences for income tax, estate tax, corporate income tax, and survivorship. Real estate may be owned by one or more persons. ...

An investigation to ascertain who legally has the title to property. For example, when a house is sold, the attorney for the purchase will do a title search to guarantee that the seller ...

Popular Real Estate Questions