inconspicuous
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of inconspicuous
From the Latin word inconspicuus, dating back to 1615–25. See in- 3, conspicuous
Explanation
Inconspicuous describes something that doesn't stand out or attract attention. The bad news? You just got pizza sauce on your shirt. The good news? It landed in an inconspicuous spot, so no one will notice. Inconspicuous comes from the Latin word inconspicuus, or "not visible," and the original meaning of inconspicuous was "invisible," until around 1828. Today, it describes anything that blends in or isn't very noticeable. If you have ever tried to find your black luggage among all the other pieces of black luggage at the airport, you know that sometimes, being inconspicuous makes things harder.
Vocabulary lists containing inconspicuous
Speak
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "I"
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The Jungle
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On an Inconspicuous Brooklyn Block, a Curious Nickname and Hobbit Doors Outsiders call it the street with little doors.
From New York Times • May 28, 2012
Inconspicuous from the outside, it's very popular with Chinese students.
From Time • Mar. 5, 2012
Inconspicuous amid these events, but extremely worrisome to the U.S., were four Iraqi tankers that last week turned up at the Iraqi terminal of Mina al- Bakr.
From Time Magazine Archive
Inconspicuous projections or badly designed curves can eat up thousands of horse power.
From Time Magazine Archive
"Inconspicuous solitude would not have had the same charms for him."
From The Gentle Art of Making Enemies by Whistler, James McNeill
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
