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 ( see -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.
Let’s state the obvious: Vrabel’s attempting to thread a dangerous needle, trying to show accountability without further embarrassment to his family.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
While there was no obvious trigger for the latest moves higher, power semiconductors have come into focus due to the energy demands of increasingly larger AI data centers.
From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026
To make the obvious point: If the tariffs are unconstitutional, they don’t raise any revenue because you have to give it all back.
From Slate • Apr. 22, 2026
"This is a pragmatic decision based on what are quite obvious fractures in the current leadership of the Iranian government," said Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026
He didn’t know exactly why all these banks were suddenly so keen to buy insurance on subprime mortgage bonds, but there was one obvious reason: The loans suddenly were going bad at an alarming rate.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
