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.
“Singling them out for something they had nothing to do with — alleged misconduct on the part of my firm or recruiters — is I think just patently unfair,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
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
Both propositions are patently false, but it doesn’t matter.
From Slate ● Dec. 8, 2025
She added: "I'd never seen anything quite so patently explicit about the extent to which a university would go to ensure that they have Chinese student income."
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2025
Which is why what Millard said next struck me as patently insane: “Stop! Everyone stop!”
From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs
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.
