evident

American  

[ev-i-duhnt] / ˈɛv ɪ dənt /

adjective

1. plain or clear to the sight or understanding.

   His frown made it evident to all that he was displeased.

   It was evident that the project was a total failure.

   Synonyms:

   unmistakable, patent, palpable, manifest, obvious

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evident British  

/ ˈɛvɪdənt /

adjective

1. easy to see or understand; readily apparent

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Synonym Usage

See apparent.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• superevident
  adjective
• evidentness
  noun
• superevidently
  adverb
• preevidently
  adverb
• nonevident
  adjective
• preevident
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of evident

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin ēvident-, stem of ēvidēns “clear, perceptible,” literally, “seeing out,” from ē- e- ¹ + stem of vidēns “seeing,” present participle of vidēre “to see”; see video

Explanation

If something is evident, it's visible. If you blush furiously and start shaking every time your crush comes near, your infatuation will be evident to everyone. Evident means conspicuously visible, often the mark of an action or a feeling. If a room is in total disarray, with everything pulled out of the drawers, it's evident that someone has been searching for something. If you leave the room in the middle of a tense meeting, your frustration will be evident. Evident can also simply mean visible. If you look closely at a key hole of your car door, small scratches will be evident in the paint.

Related Words

• conspicuous
• indisputable
• noticeable
• obvious
• palpable
• unmistakable
• visible