manifest

adjective

man·i·fest | \ˈma-nə-ˌfest

Definition of manifest

(Entry 1 of 3)

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

manifest

verb

man·i·fest | \ˈma-nə-ˌfest

manifested; manifesting; manifests

Definition of manifest (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

: to make evident or certain by showing or displaying

manifest

noun

man·i·fest | \ˈma-nə-ˌfest

Definition of manifest (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : manifestation, indication

2 : manifesto

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

Other Words from manifest Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about manifest

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Choose the Right Synonym for manifest

Adjective

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

Verb

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

Examples of manifest in a Sentence

Adjective

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.

Verb

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.

Noun

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 on the Web: Adjective

Democrats being more enthusiastic about voting may very well manifest in a wave of Democratic victories in November. — Philip Bump, Washington Post, "People who say they’re most eager to vote strongly disapprove of Trump in a new poll," 26 Mar. 2018 The former celebrates freedom and its manifest expressions; the latter celebrates order and control. — Shlomo Angel, WSJ, "‘Building and Dwelling’ Review: A Manifesto for the Open City," 6 July 2018 The greatest creation has been our love made manifest in our children. — Jen Juneau, PEOPLE.com, "Jaime King Posts Sweet and Empowering Message as Her Son Dons a Dress for Movie Premiere," 7 June 2018 The broad ethical and moral issues raised by crowdfunding are manifest. — Michael Hiltzik, latimes.com, "That heartwarming story about a kid crowdfunding for his infant brother defines what's wrong with U.S. healthcare," 4 June 2018 Rachel Bloom posted a photo from the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend set to show how hormones and stress manifest on her face. — Leah Prinzivalli, Glamour, "The 'Acne Positivity' Movement Is Taking Back the Shame From Breakouts," 28 Mar. 2018 The seriousness of Kreindler’s artistry is easy to miss because of his subject matter and manifest love for it. — Nicholas Frankovich, National Review, "Baseball Paintings That Double as Fine Art and Historical Documents," 23 Jan. 2018 Her dancing, too, was highly expressive in sophisticated choreography that didn't act out the songs so much as manifest their themes in physical form. — Mikael Wood, latimes.com, "Pink was as relatable as she was spectacular at the Honda Center," 27 May 2018 Here, Asry shares two of her Ramadan looks; both make manifest her dedication to faith and fashion. — Vogue, "How @fashionwithfaith’s Imane Asry Is Dressing for Ramadan," 23 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

When car companies go racing, the desire to win sometimes manifests as a willingness to open one’s wallet more than the next factory. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "From efficiency to airflow, it’s a golden age for racing tech in our driveways," 23 Nov. 2018 But from the viewpoint of an individual living through it, the transition was pretty casual — manifesting, on occasion, as foragers and farmers talking shop above the thrum of a river. — Mark Barna, Discover Magazine, "When Farmers and Foragers First Met," 24 Oct. 2018 What little action is taking place is manifesting in an education campaign aimed at passengers, which is questionably useful. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "No One is Fixing Flying's Fire Problem," 3 Aug. 2018 Muhammad’s sports psychologist explained to her that her anxiety was manifesting in physical symptoms. — Taylyn Washington-harmon, SELF, "How Olympic Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad Deals With the Unexpected Physical Symptoms of Anxiety," 24 July 2018 Louisville Metro has $13 billion worth of development on the table and much of it is manifesting in the city’s core and its adjacent urban neighborhoods. — Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, "Iconic Louisville gay night club is being demolished for new hotel," 4 June 2018 Yes, that can manifest itself in deeply unhealthy ways (just look at the reputation of Philly fans), but there are few spaces left in American life where Americans of every race, creed, and color can experience a sense of true fellowship. — David French, National Review, "Yes, God Cares about Football," 6 Feb. 2018 Though the building is faithful to the shipping container aesthetic, all of the units have slanted cut-outs, which, besides serving as very cool angular windows, create a chevron pattern that manifests across the building’s facade. — Liz Stinson, Curbed, "Striking apartment building is made up of 140 shipping containers," 12 Nov. 2018 Lupus is an autoimmune illness that manifests itself differently in each patient — in my case, the most pronounced symptoms are extreme fatigue, body pain, headaches, and photosensitivity. — Caitlin Flynn, Allure, "7 Things You Shouldn't Say to Someone With a Chronic or Invisible Illness," 16 Oct. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Researchers reported that its effects take root in utero and manifest when the child is older as lower intelligence and other neurological defects. — Julia Belluz, Vox, "The Trump administration’s attack on children’s health protections," 27 Sep. 2018 It was also supported by the fact that Neil didn’t have the manifest for his PPK. — Alissa Wilkinson, Vox, "First Man’s screenwriter thinks Neil Armstrong would be disappointed by the flag controversy," 15 Oct. 2018 Due to budget constraints, the Mars program likely move at a snail's pace, according to available flight manifests. — Anatoly Zak, Popular Mechanics, "This Is NASA's Plan For Humanity's Return to the Moon, and Beyond," 8 Dec. 2016 The wooden vessel, packed with passengers and dozens of motorbikes, did not have a manifest, and disaster officials have repeatedly changed passenger estimates as family members provided information. — Washington Post, "World Digest: June 20, 2018," 20 June 2018 At its core, burnout manifests as an absence of motivation — to work, to succeed, to get things done, to engage with other people and life in general. — Philip Chard, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Burnout reflects a conflict between our inner calling and what we have to do," 13 July 2018 Will all this energy manifest as some kind of pressure bearing down? — Jenny Sharaf, The Cut, "Madame Clairevoyant: Horoscopes for the Week of July 2," 2 July 2018 Proponents say the requirements will help close the academic achievement gap between children from poor and middle-class families that research demonstrates manifests by the age of 18 months. — Hannah Natanson, Washington Post, "D.C. motions to dismiss lawsuit over its controversial education requirements for child-care workers," 21 June 2018 And attorney general Sessions has made his distaste for affirmative action manifest, vowing to bring lawsuits against any universities that adopt admissions policies that unduly advantage African-American applicants. — Eric Levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Administration Calls on Colleges to End Affirmative Action," 3 July 2018

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.

History and Etymology for manifest

Adjective

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)

Verb

see manifest entry 1

Noun

see manifest entry 1

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Dictionary Entries near manifest

Statistics for manifest

Last Updated

20 Oct 2018

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Time Traveler for manifest

The first known use of manifest was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for manifest

manifest

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of manifest

(Entry 1 of 2)

: able to be seen : clearly shown or visible

: easy to understand or recognize

manifest

verb

English Language Learners Definition of manifest (Entry 2 of 2)

: to show (something) clearly

See the full definition for manifest in the English Language Learners Dictionary

manifest

adjective

man·i·fest | \ˈma-nə-ˌfest

Kids Definition of manifest

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

manifest

verb

manifested; manifesting

Kids Definition of manifest (Entry 2 of 2)

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

manifest

adjective

man·i·fest | \ˈma-nə-ˌfest

Legal Definition of manifest

(Entry 1 of 3)

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