patently
Britishadverb
Explanation
Use the adverb patently when you want to emphasize something as clearly obvious. For example, you might say "It's patently clear that you hate spinach." It might be patently obvious to you that your roommate forgot to take out the trash, or patently absurd that your brother thinks he will have a long, successful career as a street magician and fire juggler. Either way, the word patently serves to emphasize how apparent or clear your observation is. The Latin root of patently makes its meaning patently clear: patere means "lie open" or "be open."
Vocabulary lists containing patently
Revolution in Our Time
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Life of Pi
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Nectar in a Sieve
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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.
That belief is patently untrue, but more difficult to measure if filmmakers and studios refuse to take a real chance on their caped crusadettes.
From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026
In an online tribute, Smashing Pumpkins front man Billy Corgan wrote: “Finally, the dang secret is out! Their place among the greats secure, their influence on the generations patently obvious.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
During the pandemic, the state paid an estimated $30 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims, including to state prisoners and criminals who used patently false identities like then-Sen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026
Both propositions are patently false, but it doesn’t matter.
From Slate ● Dec. 8, 2025
Only in a world where everything is patently being lost can a priest stir men’s hearts as a poet would by maintaining that nothing is in vain.
From "Grendel" by John Gardner
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.
