apparent

[uh-pair-uhnt, uh-par-]

adjective

1. readily seen; exposed to sight; open to view; visible.

   The crack in the wall was readily apparent.

   Synonyms: discernible

2. 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

3. according to appearances, initial evidence, incomplete results, etc.; ostensible rather than actual.

   He was the apparent winner of the election.

4. 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.

apparent

/ əˈpɛər-, əˈpærənt /

adjective

1. readily seen or understood; evident; obvious

2. (usually prenominal) seeming, as opposed to real

   his apparent innocence belied his complicity in the crime

3. physics as observed but ignoring such factors as the motion of the observer, changes in the environment, etc Compare true

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of apparent¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of apparent¹

C14: from Latin appārēns, from appārēre to _appear

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

An award-winning Canadian-American author whose career was tied to his apparent indigenous ancestry has recently learned that he has no Cherokee roots.

Read more on BBC

I asked Kennedy’s agency to comment on this apparent misrepresentation but haven’t received a response.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The breadth of resistance to a third cut became more apparent after the second cut in October.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Soon after the launch, some apparent imposter accounts with vast followings were suddenly taken down without any explanation.

Read more on Barron's

There were "multiple levels" of editorial failure on this story, he added, as well as the apparent absence of an inquiry into what happened and why.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• clear 
• conspicuous 
• discernible 
• evident 
• glaring 
• noticeable 
• overt 
• palpable 
• understandable 
• unmistakable 
• visible 

When To Use

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.