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.
The day before the fire, for no apparent reason, I’d decided I needed to go through that cabinet.
From Los Angeles Times
A seam shootout was apparent, yet few would have predicted what transpired over the following two days.
From BBC
The speed, and apparent ease, with which Maduro was removed and Rodríguez installed led some observers to speculate that the former vice president might have been in on the plan.
From BBC
If big regulatory challenges were to appear, it would become apparent in that time period.
From Barron's
So much criticism of this England regime has centred on the culture New Zealander McCullum has created, including preparation, training methods and an apparent lack of accountability for mistakes made on the field.
From BBC
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.
