adjective
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easy to see or understand; evident
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exhibiting motives, feelings, intentions, etc, clearly or without subtlety
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naive or unsubtle
the play was rather obvious
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obsolete being or standing in the way
Synonym Usage
See apparent.
Other Word Forms
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
Now I See! Synonyms for "Clear"
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Latin Love, Vol I: via
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Essential English Vocabulary, List 4
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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.
Older H. hecale butterflies performed just as well as younger individuals, showing no obvious signs of deterioration.
From Science Daily • Jun. 22, 2026
The obvious disclaimer: Any team would be better with Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, at a combined price of $1.6 billion.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 22, 2026
Sad as it sounds, you sometimes have to state the obvious, and make sure the person’s card is marked, if only for reference after the fact.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 22, 2026
Clarke can't please some people, that much is obvious.
From BBC • Jun. 21, 2026
“I just don’t see Mom checking into a hotel. Isn’t that super obvious? Wouldn’t the FBI check every hotel?”
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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.
