Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus
1

manifest

adjective man·i·fest \ ˈma-nə-ˌfest \
|Updated on: 12 Aug 2018

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

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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

  5. Their sadness was manifest in their faces.

  6. His love for literature is manifest in his large library.

  7. There was manifest confusion in the streets.

Recent Examples of manifest from the Web

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)

manifest Synonyms

Synonyms

apparent, bald, bald-faced, barefaced, broad, clear, clear-cut, crystal clear, decided, distinct, evident, lucid, luminous, nonambiguous, obvious, open-and-shut, palpable, patent, pellucid, perspicuous, plain, straightforward, transparent, unambiguous, unambivalent, unequivocal, unmistakable;

Antonyms

ambiguous, clouded, cryptic, dark, enigmatic (also enigmatical), equivocal, indistinct, mysterious, nonobvious, obfuscated, obscure, unapparent, unclarified, unclear, unclouded;

Near Antonyms

incomprehensible, indecipherable, unfathomable, unintelligible, unknowable;

impalpable, imperceptible, inappreciable, indiscernible, insensible;

cloudy, gauzy, gray (also grey), hazy, imprecise, indefinite, indeterminate, misty, murky, nebulous, noncommittal, sketchy, slippery, subtle, vague;

illegible, undecipherable, unreadable;

Related Words

comprehendible, comprehensible, digestible, fathomable, graspable, intelligible, knowable, understandable;

self-evident, self-explanatory;

clean-cut, simple, tidy, uncomplicated;

overt, undisguised;

appreciable, perceptible, recognizable, sensible, tangible;

discernible (also discernable), noticeable, observable, visible;

black-and-white, explicit, trenchant, well-defined;

clean, decipherable, fair, legible, readable;

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
2

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

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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

  4. Both sides have manifested a stubborn unwillingness to compromise.

  5. Their religious beliefs are manifested in every aspect of their lives.

  6. Her behavior problems began manifesting themselves soon after she left home.

Recent Examples of manifest from the Web

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

see 1manifest

manifest Synonyms

Synonyms

body, embody, epitomize, express, externalize, incarnate, incorporate, materialize, personalize, personify, substantiate;

Antonyms

disembody;

Related Words

actualize, concretize, realize;

exemplify, illustrate, image, objectify, symbolize, typify;

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
3

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

  1. 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
  2. Has any passenger manifest been more fretted over than the Mayflower's? —Jack Hitt,  Harper's,  July 2005
  3. 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

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

see 1manifest

MANIFEST Defined for English Language Learners

manifest

adjective

Definition of manifest for English Language Learners

  • : able to be seen : clearly shown or visible

  • : easy to understand or recognize

manifest

verb

Definition of manifest for English Language Learners

  • : to show (something) clearly

MANIFEST Defined for Kids

1

manifest

adjective man·i·fest \ ˈma-nə-ˌfest \

Definition of manifest for Students

: easy to detect or recognize : obvious
  • Their relief was manifest.
2

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

1

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
2

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
3

manifest

noun

legal Definition of manifest

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

Learn More about manifest

  1. See words that rhyme with manifest Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for manifest Spanish Central: Translation of manifest Nglish: Translation of manifest for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of manifest for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up manifest? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

nonchalant

play

having an air of easy unconcern

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. sequacious 'intellectually servile'

  2. inadmissible 'not capable of being allowed'

  3. oligarch, pejorative 'a member a government in which a small group exercises control especially for corrupt and selfish purposes'

  4. emolument 'the returns arising from office or employment usually in the form of compensation or perquisites'

  5. troll 'to harass, criticize, or antagonize especially by disparaging or mocking public statements'

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

manifest

Test Your Vocabulary

The Eponym Quiz

  • rubens-painting
  • Which is the best synonym of bowdlerize?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Syn City

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games