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.
Semiconductor manufacturing equipment makers—Lam Research and Applied Materials among them—are some of the few obvious shorter-term beneficiaries as Musk gets the operation off the ground.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton predicts the outcome of all 380 Premier League games for BBC Sport - so he seemed an obvious choice to have his say on the title run-in.
From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026
"It was so obvious that they used a specific set of photos I took two years ago" and had posted on social media, she said.
From Barron's • Apr. 24, 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
In the fog of the first eighteen months of running his own business, Eisman had an epiphany, an identifiable moment when he realized he’d been missing something obvious.
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.
