evidently

American  

[ev-i-duhnt-lee, -dent-, ev-i-dent-lee] / ˈɛv ɪ dənt li, -ˌdɛnt-, ˌɛv ɪˈdɛnt li /

adverb

1. obviously; apparently.

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evidently British  

/ ˈɛvɪdəntlɪ /

adverb

1. without question; clearly; undoubtedly

2. to all appearances; apparently

   they are evidently related

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Synonym Usage

See clearly.

Etymology

Origin of evidently

Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at evident, -ly

Explanation

The adverb evidently is used to describe something that's obvious or easily understood. The kids next door didn't even apologize for breaking our window with their baseball; they evidently have terrible manners. When something is evident, it's plainly clear. You can use evidently when something couldn't be more obvious, whether you're describing a driver who evidently doesn't understand that a yellow light means "slow down" and not "speed up," or a typo-riddled book that was evidently published hastily. The evidence points toward these conclusions, in other words. The Latin root is evidentem, "perceptible, clear, obvious, or apparent."

Related Words

• doubtless
• manifestly
• obviously
• officially
• ostensibly
• plainly
• seemingly
• undoubtedly