obvious

adjective

ob·​vi·​ous ˈäb-vē-əs 

1

: easily discovered, seen, or understood

It was obvious that things weren't working out.

She stayed for obvious reasons.

2

archaic : being in the way or in front

obviousness noun

Synonyms

• apparent
• bald
• bald-faced
• barefaced
• bright-line
• broad
• clear
• clear-cut
• crystal clear
• decided
• distinct
• evident
• lucid
• luculent
• luminous
• manifest
• nonambiguous
• open-and-shut
• palpable
• patent
• pellucid
• perspicuous
• plain
• ringing
• straightforward
• transparent
• unambiguous
• unambivalent
• unequivocal
• unmistakable

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

Vengeance against Iran for the attempt to rain missiles on Israel would not necessarily be done with obvious, kinetic force. —Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, TIME, 15 Apr. 2024

Indeed, some officials say privately that the AfD’s links to Moscow may be just the most obvious manifestation of a far broader problem of covert Russian infiltration of Germany’s political parties and institutions. —Erika Solomon, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024

The live singing and instrumentation was just one obvious point of demarcation from some other Coachella artists seen throughout the day. —Chris Willman, Variety, 13 Apr. 2024

This is a problem for a few reasons, the most obvious is the danger to the car’s occupants as well as everyone else in traffic. —Lawrence Hodge / Jalopnik, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024

As the Niners need both roles — returner and Deebo understudy — filled, Tracy seems like an obvious Day 3 choice. —Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024

Adapting a video game into a TV series seems like an obvious move for Jonathan Nolan, a longtime gamer who spent summers in Florida as a kid playing Atari and Nintendo with his older sibling, Oscar-winning filmmaker Christopher Nolan. —Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024

Neither of the state-level changes in modern times had an obvious partisan intent, either. —Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2024

Manteo Waterside Manteo's most obvious selling point might be its proximity to the great Outer Banks. —Anne Olivia Bauso, Travel + Leisure, 11 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin obvius, from obviam in the way, from ob in the way of + viam, accusative of via way — more at ob-, via

First Known Use

1583, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing obvious

• state the obvious
• the obvious

Kids Definition

obvious

adjective

ob·​vi·​ous ˈäb-vē-əs 

: easily found, seen, or understood : plain

an obvious mistake

obviousness noun

Legal Definition

obvious

adjective

ob·​vi·​ous

: 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.

obviousness noun