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evidently

American  
[ev-i-duhnt-lee, -dent-, ev-i-dent-lee] / ˈɛv ɪ dənt li, -ˌdɛnt-, ˌɛv ɪˈdɛnt li /

adverb

  1. obviously; apparently.


evidently British  
/ ˈɛvɪdəntlɪ /

adverb

  1. without question; clearly; undoubtedly

  2. to all appearances; apparently

    they are evidently related

"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

Related Words

See clearly.

Etymology

Origin of evidently

Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at evident, -ly

Explanation

The adverb evidently is used to describe something that's obvious or easily understood. The kids next door didn't even apologize for breaking our window with their baseball; they evidently have terrible manners. When something is evident, it's plainly clear. You can use evidently when something couldn't be more obvious, whether you're describing a driver who evidently doesn't understand that a yellow light means "slow down" and not "speed up," or a typo-riddled book that was evidently published hastily. The evidence points toward these conclusions, in other words. The Latin root is evidentem, "perceptible, clear, obvious, or apparent."

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Vocabulary lists containing evidently

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 requests submitted to the Maldivian authorities... were evidently made outside the scope of the mission authorised by the university," a spokesperson said.

From BBC • May 19, 2026

If the business-casual look is par for the course in American politics, it’s less common across the pond, and was evidently intended to signal a tough-minded reset.

From Salon • May 12, 2026

No hard feelings, evidently: Tarantino later set the trailer for “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” to “Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

But he has evidently concluded they are bad for his movement—and that he doesn’t need them.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

Watching them, Kepler evidently grasped two things more or less simultaneously.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

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