unobtrusive
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- unobtrusively adverb
- unobtrusiveness noun
Etymology
Origin of unobtrusive
Explanation
Use the adjective unobtrusive to describe something that doesn’t attract much attention, like an unobtrusive waiter who doesn't interrupt diners to rattle off the nightly specials, or an unobtrusive stain on the floor that your parents haven't noticed. When you need to blend in, look to the word unobtrusive, which is pronounced "un-ob-TROO-sive." Unobtrusive can describe anyone — or anything — that is not very noticeable, such as the unobtrusive black parka that makes you look more or less like everyone else on the city streets in winter, or the unobtrusive security cameras at your bank.
Vocabulary lists containing unobtrusive
To Kill a Mockingbird
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Grade 10, List 5
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Power Prefix: un-
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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.
Today’s clunky VR headsets will be replaced by unobtrusive devices, perhaps embedded in contact lenses or even brain-computer interfaces.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026
Contemporary battlefield sketches, grand post-war history paintings, elegant portraits of the major military and political figures, along with watercolor illustrations and unobtrusive live-action recreations bring the tale to life.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2025
She won gold in the Wellness category at the Stoperiet Open bodybuilding competition in April - a category which places special emphasis on natural fitness, healthy appearance and unobtrusive beauty, rather than large muscle mass.
From BBC • Nov. 11, 2025
I was drawn to the Light Phone because it was arguably the most minimalist version available; it barely resembled a phone at all, and was so strikingly unobtrusive compared to my old needy iPhone.
From Slate • Apr. 17, 2025
He paused, then, as Poirot did not speak, he made an apologetic little bow, and after a momentary hesitation left the dining car in the same quiet, unobtrusive fashion as he had come.
From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie
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.
