as in opposite
something that is as different as possible from something else
the new administration had promised peace and prosperity, but what we got was the obverse: war and recession
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in reverse
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of obverse
David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025
According to one estimate, 96 percent of the world’s population speaks just four percent of all languages, which means that the striking obverse is also true: just four percent of the world’s population speaks 96 percent of all languages.
—Ross Perlin, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Davey Winder, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025
The obverse side will still feature the portrait of former President George Washington by Laura Gardin Fraser.
—Jordan D. Brown, Baltimore Sun, 3 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for obverse
Noun
Kraft noted that the coin's obverse was identical to the 1806 British coinage, while the reverse was unique to the Bahamas.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025
According to one estimate, 96 percent of the world’s population speaks just four percent of all languages, which means that the striking obverse is also true: just four percent of the world’s population speaks 96 percent of all languages.
—Ross Perlin, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Adjective
The obverse side of the communications coin is that without TLS encryption, that information is there for anyone to sniff out.
—Davey Winder, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025
The obverse side will still feature the portrait of former President George Washington by Laura Gardin Fraser.
—Jordan D. Brown, Baltimore Sun, 3 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for obverse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obverse
Noun
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Etiquette neither knows nor cares who is generous and who is stingy, and indecisive and rude are not opposites.—
Judith Martin,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2026
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That is the opposite of the parasympathetic state your body needs to reach deep, restorative sleep.—
Allison Palmer,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Among the 2,066 counties that grew between 2023 and 2024, nearly 8 in 10 saw their growth slow or reverse direction in 2025.—
Robert McCoppin,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
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Beyond that, Dilber says using a service like reverse recruiting could be deemed fraudulent by some companies who view it as misrepresenting yourself during the hiring process.—
Jennifer Liu
Anuz Thapa,
CNBC,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Playoff teams will select three through six based on the inverse order of the regular-season standings.—
Hailey Salvian,
New York Times,
11 Mar. 2026
-
This is the inverse aspect of high capital returns.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obverse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obverse. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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