as in opposite
something that is as different as possible from something else
the new administration had promised peace and prosperity, but what we got was the obverse: war and recession
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in reverse
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of obverse
David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025
According to one estimate, 96 percent of the world’s population speaks just four percent of all languages, which means that the striking obverse is also true: just four percent of the world’s population speaks 96 percent of all languages.
—Ross Perlin, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Davey Winder, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025
The obverse side will still feature the portrait of former President George Washington by Laura Gardin Fraser.
—Jordan D. Brown, Baltimore Sun, 3 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for obverse
Noun
Kraft noted that the coin's obverse was identical to the 1806 British coinage, while the reverse was unique to the Bahamas.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025
According to one estimate, 96 percent of the world’s population speaks just four percent of all languages, which means that the striking obverse is also true: just four percent of the world’s population speaks 96 percent of all languages.
—Ross Perlin, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Adjective
The obverse side of the communications coin is that without TLS encryption, that information is there for anyone to sniff out.
—Davey Winder, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025
The obverse side will still feature the portrait of former President George Washington by Laura Gardin Fraser.
—Jordan D. Brown, Baltimore Sun, 3 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for obverse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obverse
Noun
-
Non-itemizers should consider doing the opposite and wait until 2026 to donate their cash to get a deduction, experts said.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
25 Oct. 2025
-
While most of us would see a hug as something positive, new research from New York's Binghamton University suggests that not every embrace comes from a place of affection—in fact, quite the opposite.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The other was a 37-yard pass to tight end Zack Marshall on a reverse flea-flicker.—
Austin Meek,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
-
The functional centerpiece is a six-story staircase, which leads museumgoers past stone monuments and pharaonic statues arranged in reverse chronological order.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Via an inverse point system, songs with weeks spent at No. 1 were assigned the greatest value, while those that spent weeks at lower spots earned less.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
30 Oct. 2025
-
This new tax would have the inverse effect — instead of raising revenue, many hosts will simply stop hosting, which means less tourism and tax revenue for the city.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obverse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obverse. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share