显得【xiǎnde】

显得 is a verb meaning "to appear, to come across as". It goes before an adjective, usually with 很, 有点儿, 特别 or 更 in front of it, and describes the impression someone or something gives.

What makes it look that way

The most common 显得 sentence names the cause: a piece of clothing, a colour, something nearby. The cause is the subject, or it comes before 让 or 使.

显得 or 看起来

看起来 is the speaker's guess from what they see: 他看起来很累 means "he seems tired, I think". 显得 reports an impression that is plain to anyone, and it is the one to use with a cause or a comparison. 看起来 can also start a sentence and take a whole clause; 显得 can't.

• × 显得要下雨了 → 看起来要下雨了

Before a noun, use 像

显得 takes an adjective. To say someone looks like a type of person, use 像.

• × 他显得老师 → 他像老师
• × 她显得一个学生 → 她看起来像个学生

显得 is more written than 看起来, and it is common in descriptions of people and places.