conspicuous

[ kuhn-spik-yoo-uhs ]

/ kənˈspɪk yu əs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR conspicuous ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

consortium, conspecific, conspectus, consperg., conspicuity tape, conspicuous, conspicuous by its absence, conspicuous consumption, conspiracist, conspiracy, 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

SYNONYMS FOR conspicuous

1 manifest, noticeable, clear, marked, salient.

2 prominent, striking, noteworthy.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR conspicuous ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

con·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

The system is truck-mounted and road-mobile, as are the big and conspicuous radars that stood next to it on display.
How China Will Track—and Kill—America’s Newest Stealth Jets|Bill Sweetman|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For Shaftel this kind of licentious behavior amounts to “conspicuous consumption disguised as urbanity.”
Don’t Diss the Beauty of Brunch: Defending Our Favorite Meal|Tim Teeman|October 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Any list of his conspicuous qualities turns out to be a recitation of opposites.
Will the Real Jim Palmer Please Stand Up|Tom Boswell|September 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As recently as a few years ago, buying and driving a hybrid was an exercise in conspicuous consumption.
Hybrid Cars Are Niche No More|The Daily Beast|June 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It was a dizzying time, and Shaquille handled an array of new situations with conspicuous aplomb.
Shaq, Year One|Charles P. Pierce|May 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Her skeleton was long a conspicuous object, visited by ramblers on the Island.
Toronto of Old|Henry Scadding
In this Clay was conspicuous, and Webster and Calhoun were his sympathetic allies.
Expansion and Conflict|William E. Dodd
There are several buzzards and falcons and a few kites, but vultures are conspicuous by their absence.
Letters from Mesopotamia|Robert Palmer
She could hardly fail to catch his eye, she was so conspicuous with bandages.
Red Pepper's Patients|Grace S. Richmond
I raised mine to my shoulder, and pointing it toward a conspicuous savage, pulled the trigger.
Bill Biddon, Trapper|Edward S. Ellis

British Dictionary definitions for conspicuous

conspicuous

/ (kənˈspɪkjʊəs) /

adjective

clearly visible; obvious or showy

attracting attention because of a striking quality or featureconspicuous stupidity

Derived Forms

conspicuously, 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