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definitions

conspicuous

[ kuhn-spik-yoo-uhs ]
/ kənˈspɪk yu əs /
||
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adjective

easily seen or noticed; readily visible or observable: a conspicuous error.
attracting special attention, as by outstanding qualities or eccentricities: He was conspicuous by his booming laughter.

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RELATED WORDS

discernible, noticeable, evident, distinct, apparent, visible, salient, remarkable, striking, influential, flagrant, notable, blatant, glaring, clear, manifest, open-and-shut, patent, perceptible, plain

Nearby words

  1. conspecific,
  2. conspectus,
  3. consperg.,
  4. conspicuity,
  5. conspicuity tape,
  6. conspicuous by its absence,
  7. conspicuous consumption,
  8. conspiracist,
  9. conspiracy,
  10. conspiracy of silence

Origin of conspicuous

1535–45; < Latin conspicuus visible, conspicuous, equivalent to conspic(ere) (see conspectus) + -uus deverbal adj. suffix; cf. contiguous, continuous, -ous
Related formscon·spic·u·ous·ly, adverbcon·spic·u·ous·ness, con·spi·cu·i·ty [kon-spi-kyoo-i-tee] /ˌkɒn spɪˈkyu ɪ ti/, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for conspicuous

British Dictionary definitions for conspicuous

conspicuous

/ (kənˈspɪkjʊəs) /

adjective

clearly visible; obvious or showy
attracting attention because of a striking quality or featureconspicuous stupidity
Derived Formsconspicuously, adverbconspicuousness, noun

Word Origin for conspicuous

C16: from Latin conspicuus, from conspicere to perceive; see conspectus
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for conspicuous

conspicuous

adj.

1540s, from Latin conspicuus "visible, open to view, striking," from conspicere "to look at, observe, see, notice," from com-, intensive prefix (see com-), + specere (see scope (n.1)). Phrase conspicuous by its absence (1859) is said to be from Tacitus ("Annals" iii.76), in a passage about certain images: "sed præfulgebant ... eo ipso quod effigies eorum non visebantur."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper