Question
Updated on
3 Jan 2015
- Korean
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English (UK)
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French (France)
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Question about English (US)
What is the difference between seem to and look like to ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
What is the difference between seem to and look like to ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
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3 Jan 2015
Featured answer
- English (US)
They can be used interchangeably if they mean the way someone or something appears to be. e.g., "He seems (to be) angry. He looks like he is angry". But seems has a broader meaning that includes a "feeling" you have about someone or something. e.g., "It seemed like a good idea at the time (I had the feeling that it was a good idea yesterday, but my feeling about it was wrong)". It would also be natural to say that "it looked like a good idea at the time", but "looked like" implies that your thought was based on appearences rather than feelings. You can't go wrong either way in casual talk, but there is a subtle difference.
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- English (US)
They're almost the same. 'Looks like' can be a legit observation while it can also be a prediction. I feel like "seem to" is more a prediction but it can also be an observation as well.
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- English (US)
You can say, "It seems to be fresh." and "It looks to be fresh."
You CANNOT say, "It looks like to be fresh."
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- English (US)
They can be used interchangeably if they mean the way someone or something appears to be. e.g., "He seems (to be) angry. He looks like he is angry". But seems has a broader meaning that includes a "feeling" you have about someone or something. e.g., "It seemed like a good idea at the time (I had the feeling that it was a good idea yesterday, but my feeling about it was wrong)". It would also be natural to say that "it looked like a good idea at the time", but "looked like" implies that your thought was based on appearences rather than feelings. You can't go wrong either way in casual talk, but there is a subtle difference.
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