obvious

[ob-vee-uhs]

adjective

1. easily seen, recognized, or understood; open to view or knowledge; evident.

   an obvious advantage.

   Synonyms: unmistakable, palpable, clear, manifest, plain
   Antonyms: hidden

2. lacking in subtlety.

3. Obsolete.,  being or standing in the way.

obvious

/ ˈɒbvɪəs /

adjective

1. easy to see or understand; evident

2. exhibiting motives, feelings, intentions, etc, clearly or without subtlety

3. naive or unsubtle

   the play was rather obvious

4. obsolete,  being or standing in the way

Other Word Forms

• obviousness noun
• obviously adverb
• nonobvious adjective
• nonobviously adverb
• nonobviousness noun
• overobvious adjective
• preobvious adjective
• preobviously adverb
• preobviousness noun
• unobvious adjective
• unobviously adverb
• unobviousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of obvious¹

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. ) )

Word History and Origins

Origin of obvious¹

C16: from Latin obvius, from obviam in the way, from ob- against + via way

Synonym Study

See apparent.

Example Sentences

The most obvious point here is that the government in Westminster can only control stamp duty in England and Northern Ireland.

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Less than 24 hours later, Cohen apologized to Mets fans on social media, promising to “figure out the obvious and less obvious reasons why the team didn’t perform up to your and my expectations.”

Read more on Wall Street Journal

“Sometimes you can over-talk about the little things and not just focus on the obvious thing,” Hollander continues, “which is: Teams who hit it over the fence a lot are usually pretty good.”

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It’s a mantra that might sound obvious—but actually counts as a radical notion in the modern game.

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But the longer his romp through the tournament went on, the more obvious it became that Alcaraz’s no-frills haircut was part of his preparation for battle.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• accessible 
• clear 
• conspicuous 
• discernible 
• distinct 
• evident 
• glaring 
• indisputable 
• noticeable 
• overt 
• palpable 
• pronounced 
• recognizable www.thesaurus.com
• self-evident 
• straightforward 
• undeniable 
• unmistakable 
• visible