blatant
Americanadjective
-
brazenly obvious; flagrant.
a blatant error in simple addition; a blatant lie.
- Synonyms:
- obtrusive, undeniable, overt, unmistakable
- Antonyms:
- inconspicuous, hidden, subtle
-
offensively noisy or loud; clamorous.
blatant radios.
-
tastelessly conspicuous.
the blatant colors of the dress.
adjective
-
glaringly conspicuous or obvious
a blatant lie
-
offensively noticeable
blatant disregard for a person's feelings
-
offensively noisy
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of blatant
Coined by Edmund Spenser in 1596; compare Latin blatīre “to babble, prate,” blaterāre “to talk foolishly, babble”
Explanation
Something blatant is very obvious and offensive. Don't get caught in a blatant lie, because you won't be able to weasel your way out of it. Blatant acts are done without trying to hide them. This adjective is probably from Latin blaterare "to chatter, croak" or Latin blatīre "to chatter, gossip." A near synonym is flagrant.
Vocabulary lists containing blatant
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)
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Grade 9, List 2
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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.
Shepard called his transfer “a blatant act of retaliation.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026
Aside from being terribly boring and overlong, “Cars” represents Pixar’s first blatant step toward becoming a capitalist behemoth, an animation studio that would continue to prioritize money over media to this day.
From Salon • Jun. 6, 2026
Competitors saw it as a blatant attempt by the industry powerhouse—nearly half the 400,000 cars produced in 1913 were Fords—to put the squeeze on them.
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
That would be too blatant a violation of Carson v.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
Often they were exaggerated, or blatant lies, but it was a way of bringing body and soul back together, or a way of making new bodies for the souls to inhabit.
From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien
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.
