unobtrusive
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
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.
Their unobtrusive placement complements their immersive musicality, hitherto only possible outdoors with high-end earphones or headphones connected to sophisticated digital acoustic conversion equipment costing a bundle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
The idea is that computing will be ambient but unobtrusive, there when you need it, but not when you don’t.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
The nature of the camera in Meta's glasses can be so unobtrusive that even their wearers have been caught off guard by what and when they're recording, and where those recordings are going.
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
One day, millions of Americans might wear sensors like this one, which I found surprisingly unobtrusive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
Hobbits are an unobtrusive but very ancient people, more numerous formerly than they are today; for they love peace and quiet and good tilled earth: a well-ordered and well-farmed countryside was their favourite haunt.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
