manifest

adjective man·i·fest \ ˈma-nə-ˌfest \

Definition of manifest

1 :readily perceived by the senses and especially by the sense of sight

Their sadness was manifest in their faces.

2 :easily understood or recognized by the mind :obvious

—

manifestly

adverb

See manifest defined for English-language learners

See manifest defined for kids

Examples of manifest in a Sentence

The argument, for all of its manifest inadequacies … captured the national imagination and shaped subsequent religious discourse. It provided a vocabulary, an explanation, and a new set of boundaries for the restructured American religion that had by then been developing for half a century. —Jonathan D. Sarna, American Judaism, 2004
Economics, the great model among us now, indulges and deprives, builds and abandons, threatens and promises. Its imperium is manifest, irrefragable—as in fact it has been since antiquity. —Marilynne Robinson, The Death of Adam, 1998
Washington has long been uneasy about its relationship with Somalia, partly because of the manifest shakiness of the Siad Barre administration but also because of Somalia's continuing claims on the Ogaden. —John Borrell, Wall Street Journal, 23 Aug. 1982
His muscles were getting flabby, and his tailor called attention to his increasing waistband. In fact, Daylight was developing a definite paunch. This physical deterioration was manifest likewise in his face. —Jack London, Burning Daylight, 1910
Their sadness was manifest in their faces.
His love for literature is manifest in his large library.
There was manifest confusion in the streets.

Recent Examples of manifest from the Web

Some scars are thick, raised hypertrophic scars that stick out above the skin; others are keloid, which are scars that have over-healed, and manifest as dense, rubbery skin tissue.

— tina ferraro, Teen Vogue, "How to Get Rid of Acne Scars and Dark Marks: Your Complete Guide," 24 Aug. 2017
Mike Paoli, a spokesman for Energy Northwest, said that the manifest mistake that led to the July suspension by the state did not result in public health or safety risks.

— hal bernton, The Seattle Times, "State suspends low-level waste shipment from nuclear plant over manifest errors," 14 Aug. 2017
The rage of the oppression taking place would be manifest in some fashion.

— deneen l. brown, Washington Post, "In Detroit, ‘the rage of oppression.’ For five days in 1967, riots consumed a city.," 23 July 2017
The fact that he could get elected to Congress, despite such manifest incompetence and intolerance, is a problem rooted in our government’s crisis of accountability.

— paul blest, New Republic, "Clay Higgins and the Rise of Trumpism in the GOP," 6 July 2017
The young prince had been named to the line of succession just months before, but his impact on Saudi policymaking was already manifest.

— chicagotribune.com, "Is Saudi Arabia's massive economy reform coming off the rails?," 5 June 2017
More troublingly, in its larger response to the controversy, The Daily Caller is taking the position that the original article was fine and the only problem is the conflict of interest—not Kessler’s manifest support for racist politics.

— jeet heer, New Republic, "The Daily Caller is just fine with publishing white supremacists.," 1 June 2017
These tensions are manifest in the frequent and large-scale popular protests, which threaten regime stability.

— juan wang, Washington Post, "Xi Jinping is ‘putting the house in order.’ Or is China facing destabilizing changes?," 23 May 2017
Their bosses understood what the scale of his crimes makes manifest, and what the cinematic efforts don’t fully underscore: that Bernie Madoff was no ordinary crook.

— gordon mehler, The Atlantic, "No Movie Could Capture the Crazy Details of Bernie Madoff's Story," 20 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'manifest.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of manifest

Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French manifeste, from Latin manifestus caught in the act, flagrant, obvious, perhaps from manus + -festus (akin to Latin infestus hostile)

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

manifest Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of manifest

evident, manifest, patent, distinct, obvious, apparent, plain, clear mean readily perceived or apprehended. evident implies presence of visible signs that lead one to a definite conclusion.

- an evident fondness for sweets

manifest implies an external display so evident that little or no inference is required.

- manifest hostility

patent applies to a cause, effect, or significant feature that is clear and unmistakable once attention has been directed to it.

- patent defects

distinct implies such sharpness of outline or definition that no unusual effort to see or hear or comprehend is required.

- a distinct refusal

obvious implies such ease in discovering that it often suggests conspicuousness or little need for perspicacity in the observer.

- the obvious solution

apparent is very close to evident except that it may imply more conscious exercise of inference.

- for no apparent reason

plain suggests lack of intricacy, complexity, or elaboration.

- her feelings about him are plain

clear implies an absence of anything that confuses the mind or obscures the pattern.

- a clear explanation

manifest

verb man·i·fest \ ˈma-nə-ˌfest \

Definition of manifest

transitive verb

:to make evident or certain by showing or displaying

—

manifester

noun

See manifest defined for English-language learners

Examples of manifest in a Sentence

Malone has invited Barkley to spend a week … to relax, talk some basketball, eat some hot Louisiana food and kick around the subject of frustration, something they both feel but manifest in different ways. —Jack McCallum, Sports Illustrated, 27 Apr. 1992
He asked what they had been doing in Dallas, and they told him that they were looking at the Sunbelt boom as manifested in the great Texas banks, thrifts and real estate operations. —John Kenneth Galbraith, A Tenured Professor, 1990
And if one is a pantheist … one might say that all nature is divinity and manifests itself in myriad forms and delightful complexities. —Margot Adler, Drawing Down the Moon, 1986
Both sides have manifested a stubborn unwillingness to compromise.
Their religious beliefs are manifested in every aspect of their lives.
Her behavior problems began manifesting themselves soon after she left home.

Recent Examples of manifest from the Web

Their communal actions launched what is now called Burning Man, a weeklong arts community that manifests and disappears with every Labor Day holiday in the Nevada Black Rock Desert.

— katherine k. chen, Fortune, "Why Newcomers Can’t Ruin Burning Man," 28 Aug. 2017
A large amount of CO2 would also have been added to the atmosphere, which would mostly manifest itself in long-term warming after the short-term freeze had ended.

— scott k. johnson, Ars Technica, "The end-Cretaceous mass extinction was rather unpleasant," 25 Aug. 2017
The result is an emptiness which may be manifested by fear and hatred.

— keith bierygolick, Cincinnati.com, "After Charlottesville, social media prompts Mason response," 18 Aug. 2017
Earth scientists have long suspected that upwellings in these mantle convection currents would manifest themselves as the plumes responsible for Earth’s volcanic hot spots.

— eric hand, Science | AAAS, "A molten puddle deep under Iceland may reveal where volcanoes get their lava," 27 July 2017
The decimation manifested into frustration for the Tigers when reliever Bruce Rondon plunked Mike Moustakas in the top of the ninth.

— rustin dodd, kansascity, "Eric Hosmer erupts for five hits, grand slam in Royals’ 16-2 win over Tigers," 26 July 2017
The pattern has grown beyond its preppy reputation and manifested itself into wrap dresses, '90s-style bib-neck minis, and sharp pencil skirts—though, the easy, breezy, and quintessentially vibe remains a constant.

— ana colon, Glamour, "All the Gingham Dresses to Buy While You Still Have Summer Weekends," 21 July 2017
Ben’s go-to reaction in a stressful situation was always laughter, the complete opposite of Matias, whose anxiety about anything going wrong manifested itself in lots of angry, silent, car rides and everyone having to tiptoe around him.

— joanne solomon, Longreads, "When it Takes Being Thrown to Learn How to Land," 1 July 2017
The season is all about approaching everything at a more leisurely pace and manifesting positive energy into our lives with ease.

— sara tardiff, ELLE Decor, "Floral Arrangements To Try If You Have A Summer Zodiac Sign," 29 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of manifest

see ¹manifest

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

manifest Synonyms

Synonyms

bespeak, betray, communicate, declare, demonstrate, display, evince, expose, give away, show, reveal

Antonyms

disembody

Related Words

bare, disclose, unbosom, uncloak, uncover; advertise, air, announce, blaze, broadcast, placard, proclaim, publicize, sound, trumpet; project

Near Antonyms

belie, misrepresent; distort, falsify, garble, twist; camouflage, disguise; gild, gloss (over), varnish, whitewash; conceal, counterfeit, cover, hide, mask, obscure, occlude, veil

Synonym Discussion of manifest

show, manifest, evidence, evince, demonstrate mean to reveal outwardly or make apparent. show is the general term but sometimes implies that what is revealed must be gained by inference from acts, looks, or words.

- careful not to show his true feelings

manifest implies a plainer, more immediate revelation.

- manifested musical ability at an early age

evidence suggests serving as proof of the actuality or existence of something.

- a commitment evidenced by years of loyal service

evince implies a showing by outward marks or signs.

- evinced not the slightest fear

demonstrate implies showing by action or by display of feeling.

- demonstrated their approval by loud applause

manifest

noun man·i·fest \ ˈma-nə-ˌfest \

Definition of manifest

1 :manifestation, indication

2 :manifesto

3 :a list of passengers or an invoice of cargo for a vehicle (such as a ship or plane)

Examples of manifest in a Sentence

Since 2002, a program known as the Container Security Initiative requires our main trading partners to send to U.S. Customs and border Protection an electronic manifest for every U.S.-bound container twenty-four hours before it is loaded on a ship. —William Finnegan, New Yorker, 19 June 2006
Has any passenger manifest been more fretted over than the Mayflower's? —Jack Hitt, Harper's, July 2005
But for me, finding it still in "use" is high on the manifest of writerly thrills longed for—along with seeing someone you don't know hungrily reading your book on an overland bus in Turkey; or noticing your book on the shelf behind the moderator on Meet the Press next to The Wealth of Nations and Giants in the Earth; or seeing your book on a list of overlooked American masterpieces compiled by former insiders in the Kennedy administration. —Richard Ford, Independence Day, 1995

Recent Examples of manifest from the Web

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality said SolarWorld transported hazardous waste without a manifest in 2010 and 2011.

— mike rogoway, OregonLive.com, "SolarWorld penalized for hazardous waste," 29 Aug. 2017
The British monarchy — as manifest for the last 64 years in the personage of Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II — has survived the republicans and the democratic imperative for three principle reasons.

— chris jones, chicagotribune.com, "'The Audience': The Queen advises and consents, always over tea," 28 Aug. 2017
The accelerated launch manifest is intended to help SpaceX get out ahead of its long backlog of customers who have purchased rides on the Falcon 9.

— jay bennett, Popular Mechanics, "SpaceX to Attempt Twelfth Launch of the Year," 24 Aug. 2017
But after that terrible night in 1967, it was formally re-designated Apollo 1 and forever listed on the space agency's official manifest of missions flown.

— jeffrey kluger, Time, "'Countdown' Podcast Episode 3: The Tragedy of Apollo 1," 3 Aug. 2017
Their mastery of kicking back manifests in cocktail form with the Aperol spritz.

— kevin sintumuang, WSJ, "The Pitcher Drink That Confers Instant Cool," 28 June 2017
According to the flight manifest, Bentley's other trips on the state aircraft included: Jan. 5 - Trip to Mobile for remarks at education conference; Bentley, protection officer, 3 staffers on board.

— leada gore, AL.com, "Ex-Gov. Bentley flight records reveal 'mystery' guest for Trump inauguration," 26 June 2017
Reviewing all routing manifests and itineraries to confirm drop-off points for all students.

— CBS News, ""It was very, very scary": Bus drops 5-year-old off at wrong school," 15 June 2017
IPC pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the Clean Water Act and transporting hazardous waste without a manifest.

— Washington Post, "Guilty plea set for oil recycling manager in pollution case," 12 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of manifest

see ¹manifest

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1561

See Words from the same year

MANIFEST Defined for Kids

manifest

adjective man·i·fest \ ˈma-nə-ˌfest \

Definition of manifest for Students

:easy to detect or recognize :obvious

Their relief was manifest.

manifest

verb

Definition of manifest for Students

manifested; manifesting

:to show plainly

… her human curiosity … began to manifest itself …
—Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer

Law Dictionary

manifest

adjective man·i·fest \ ˈma-nə-ˌfest \

legal Definition of manifest

1 :capable of being readily perceived by the senses and especially by sight

a manifest injury

2 :capable of being easily understood or recognized :clearly evident, obvious, and indisputable

vacating an arbitrator's award because of the arbitrator's manifest disregard of the law

—

manifestly

adverb

manifest

transitive verb

legal Definition of manifest

:to make evident or certain by showing or displaying

manifesting the intent to make a gift

—

manifestation

play \ˌma-nə-fə-ˈstā-shən, -ˌfe-ˈstā-\ noun

manifest

noun

legal Definition of manifest

:a list of passengers or an invoice of cargo for a vehicle (as a ship or plane)

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