obvious

adjective

ob·vi·ous | \ ˈäb-vē-əs

Definition of obvious

1 archaic : being in the way or in front

2 : easily discovered, seen, or understood It was obvious that things weren't working out. She stayed for obvious reasons.

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

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Choose the Right Synonym for obvious

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

Examples of obvious in a Sentence

Her doctor immediately noticed the obvious signs of the disease. She saw only the most obvious differences. It was obvious that things weren't working out. The answer seems obvious enough to me. The problem was immediately obvious to everyone in the room. He was the obvious candidate for president. The obvious question is: how did he become so successful? For obvious reasons, I would not like to reveal my name.

Recent Examples on the Web

For obvious reasons, Jack doesn’t share a lot of screen time with his adult children, but thanks to dream sequences and hallucinations there are rare exceptions. — Emma Dibdin, Country Living, "'This Is Us' Recap: Jack and an Adult Kate Appeared Together for the First Time and It Was Emotional," 10 Oct. 2018 Being an Allure editor most definitely has its perks: The most obvious one being the chance to try just about any beauty product on or coming to the market. — Allure, "12 Luxury Facial Moisturizers That Are Worth the Splurge," 12 Sep. 2018 The most obvious reason is the battery size: the XPS 15 has nearly twice the battery capacity, at 96Wh vs. the 51Wh fuel tank in the XPS 13. — Gordon Mah Ung, PCWorld, "Dell XPS 13 vs. Dell XPS 15: Which should you buy?," 11 Sep. 2018 Neymar’s flopping is just the most obvious form of deceit. — Alejandro Chacoff, The Atlantic, "Soccer Has No Interest in Fairness," 12 July 2018 Equally alarming to many was his argument that sitting presidents should be exempted from civil suits and criminal prosecution — a pretty obvious reason for the embattled administration to have picked him. — refinery29.com, "All 34 Official Nods For Brett Kavanaugh Were By Men. Here's What 34 Women Think.," 10 July 2018 Lenù and Lila's struggle for education is an essential part of their trajectory, even if that doesn't seem obvious, executive producer Jennifer Schuur tells BAZAAR.com. — Julie Kosin, Harper's BAZAAR, "In My Brilliant Friend, Education Offers a Dangerous Escape from Poverty," 20 Nov. 2018 The order seems fairly obvious from the outside, but how do the coaches view the hierarchy? — Jon Wilner Pac-12 Hotline, The Seattle Times, "What’s the best job in the Pac-12? Even coaches say there’s an obvious hierarchy," 25 Oct. 2018 Now, anyone can win the lottery and change their lives forever, and buying a home is the most obvious way to cement that change. — Angela Serratore, Curbed, "The pure joy of HGTV’s ‘My Lottery Dream Home’," 21 Sep. 2018

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

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Last Updated

12 Feb 2019

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Time Traveler for obvious

The first known use of obvious was in 1583

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More Definitions for obvious

obvious

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of obvious

: easy to see or notice

: easy for the mind to understand or recognize

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

obvious

adjective

ob·vi·ous | \ ˈäb-vē-əs

Kids Definition of obvious

: easily found, seen, or understood He … held on to me, even after it was obvious that I was not going to fall.— Sharon Creech, Walk Two Moons

obvious

adjective

ob·vi·ous

Legal Definition of obvious

: easily seen, discovered, or understood specifically : readily apparent to a person of ordinary skill in a particular art considering the scope and content of the prior art — see also patent

Note: An invention that is found to be obvious cannot be patented.