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apparent

[uh-par-uhnt, uh-pair-]
adjective
  1. readily seen; exposed to sight; open to view; visible: The crack in the wall was readily apparent.
  2. capable of being easily perceived or understood; plain or clear; obvious: The solution to the problem was apparent to all.
  3. according to appearances, initial evidence, incomplete results, etc.; ostensible rather than actual: He was the apparent winner of the election.
  4. 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.Compare heir apparent, heir presumptive.
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Origin of apparent

1350–1400; < Latin appārent- (stem of appārēns appearing; see appear, -ent); replacing Middle English aparant < Middle French
Related formsap·par·ent·ly, adverbap·par·ent·ness, nounnon·ap·par·ent, adjectivenon·ap·par·ent·ly, adverbnon·ap·par·ent·ness, nounself-ap·par·ent, adjectivesub·ap·par·ent, adjectivesub·ap·par·ent·ly, adverbsub·ap·par·ent·ness, nounun·ap·par·ent, adjectiveun·ap·par·ent·ly, adverbun·ap·par·ent·ness, noun

Synonyms

1. discernible. 2. open, conspicuous, manifest, unmistakable.

Synonym study

2. 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.

Antonyms

2. concealed, obscure.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for non-apparent

Historical Examples

  • To the rest of mankind Νοητὰ are non-apparent and non-existent.

    Plato and the Other Companions of Sokrates, 3rd ed. Volume III (of 4)

    George Grote

  • Contact with thorns and brambles had made shipwreck of the immaculate frock-coat; his linen was non-apparent.

  • The first criticism is verbal, on the non-apparent distinction between "works" and "formal acts recorded."

    The Popham Colony

    William Frederick Poole

British Dictionary definitions for non-apparent

apparent

adjective
  1. readily seen or understood; evident; obvious
  2. (usually prenominal) seeming, as opposed to realhis apparent innocence belied his complicity in the crime
  3. physics as observed but ignoring such factors as the motion of the observer, changes in the environment, etcCompare true (def. 9)
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Derived Formsapparentness, noun

Word Origin

C14: from Latin appārēns, from appārēre to appear
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 non-apparent

apparent

adj.

late 14c., from Old French aparant "evident, obvious, visible," from Latin apparentem (nominative apparens) "visible, manifest," present participle of apparere (see appear). First attested in phrase heir apparent (see heir). Meaning "superficial" is c.1400. Apparent magnitude in astronomy (how bright a heavenly body looks from earth, as opposed to absolute magnitude, which is how bright it really is) is attested from 1875.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper