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Synonyms

obvious

American  
[ob-vee-uhs] / ˈɒb vi əs /

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 British  
/ 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

"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 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. ) )

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.

“In-housing more chip design is the most obvious lever for Apple to pull with respect to product gross margins and we think the 5G modem chip is the most likely candidate,” wrote Daryanani.

From Barron's

“In-housing more chip design is the most obvious lever for Apple to pull with respect to product gross margins and we think the 5G modem chip is the most likely candidate,” wrote Daryanani.

From Barron's

While metabolism has obvious energy costs tied to chemical reactions themselves, there is also an additional cost associated with guiding chemical activity along specific pathways.

From Science Daily

But she says those running fantasy leagues can use incentives to encourage players away from obvious or popular picks.

From BBC

“We know the disparities exist, but they become shockingly obvious,” said Char Miller, an environmental analysis professor at Pomona College in Claremont, Calif.

From The Wall Street Journal