apparent
Americanadjective
-
readily seen; exposed to sight; open to view; visible.
The crack in the wall was readily apparent.
- Synonyms:
- discernible
-
capable of being easily perceived or understood; plain or clear; obvious.
The solution to the problem was apparent to all.
- Synonyms:
- unmistakable, manifest, conspicuous, open
- Antonyms:
- obscure
-
according to appearances, initial evidence, incomplete results, etc.; ostensible rather than actual.
He was the apparent winner of the election.
-
entitled to a right of inheritance by birth, indefeasible except by one's death before that of the ancestor, to an inherited throne, title, or other estate.
adjective
-
readily seen or understood; evident; obvious
-
(usually prenominal) seeming, as opposed to real
his apparent innocence belied his complicity in the crime
-
physics as observed but ignoring such factors as the motion of the observer, changes in the environment, etc Compare true
Usage
What does apparent mean? Apparent means clear, obvious, or easily observed.It’s also commonly used in a way that means based on the appearance of things, as opposed to what is definitely true. Something described as apparent in this way has not been confirmed or proven, and the word is often used in this way in journalism, as in The video shows the suspect in an apparent altercation with the store clerk. The adverb form of apparent is apparently, which is most often used to refer to things that appear a certain way but may not actually be so.Example: He hasn’t said so, but he’s made it very apparent that he wants to take a vacation—the other day he put on a video of ocean waves and sat in front of it in a beach chair.
Related Words
Apparent, evident, obvious, patent all refer to something easily perceived. Apparent applies to that which can readily be seen or perceived: an apparent effort. Evident applies to that which facts or circumstances make plain: His innocence was evident. Obvious applies to that which is unquestionable, because of being completely manifest or noticeable: an obvious change of method. Patent, a more formal word, applies to that which is open to view or understanding by all: a patent error.
Other Word Forms
- apparently adverb
- apparentness noun
- nonapparent adjective
- nonapparently adverb
- nonapparentness noun
- self-apparent adjective
- subapparent adjective
- subapparently adverb
- subapparentness noun
- unapparent adjective
- unapparently adverb
- unapparentness noun
Etymology
Origin of apparent
First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin appārent-, stem of appārēns “appearing,” present participle of appārēre “to come into view, become visible”; replacing Middle English aparant, from Middle French; appear
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.
Reassessing place names as the dark side of history becomes more apparent is nothing new.
From Los Angeles Times
The pressure on business is now apparent in inflation data and has begun to worry the Federal Reserve, in part because higher operating costs haven’t yet fully hit consumers.
From Barron's
Earlier this month, Norris played up his apparent indestructibility by throwing punches in an Instagram posting celebrating his 86th birthday.
It was apparent, he said later, that many consumers—including Kimberly-Clark’s—were going to be feeling the pinch.
Once again, the theorist is Busner, now 93, and this time he has the apparent failings of neoliberalism in his sights.
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.
