adjective
-
easy to see or understand; evident
-
exhibiting motives, feelings, intentions, etc, clearly or without subtlety
-
naive or unsubtle
the play was rather obvious
-
obsolete being or standing in the way
Related Words
See apparent.
Other Word Forms
- nonobvious adjective
- nonobviously adverb
- nonobviousness noun
- obviously adverb
- obviousness noun
- overobvious adjective
- preobvious adjective
- preobviously adverb
- preobviousness noun
- unobvious adjective
- unobviously adverb
- unobviousness noun
Etymology
Origin of obvious
First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin obvius “in the way, lying in the path,” equivalent to ob- ob- ( def. ) + vi(a) way 1 ( def. ) + -us, adjective suffix ( -ous ( def. ) )
Explanation
Something obvious is plain to see and easily understandable. It was obvious that you didn't enjoy your meal because I found it rolled in a napkin and shoved under the rug. There's nothing vague about the adjective obvious — it's right there in front of your eyes! It describes something that's easy to figure out or the most straightforward option. If someone states the obvious, you're likely to respond with a sarcastic "No duh!" or "Thanks Sherlock." If obvious isn't the obvious word of choice, you can try a synonym such as "evident" or "apparent."
Vocabulary lists containing obvious
Twelve Angry Men
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Now I See! Synonyms for "Clear"
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Latin Love, Vol I: via
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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.
Yet it was not a clear and obvious error to give a foul, so a soft free-kick became a penalty by default.
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026
When companies face pressure to increase shareholder returns, these characteristics make spending on research an obvious place to trim or redirect — even if no one says it explicitly.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026
Bank of America’s fund-management survey, published Tuesday, is the most bearish it’s been in almost a year — but perhaps not pessimistic enough to produce an obvious rebound signal.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026
Despite the obvious differences between Hungary and the U.S.,
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
“Mrs. Warne cannot for obvious reasons,” said Mr. Pinkerton.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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.
