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Definition of obvious adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

obvious

adjective
 
/ˈɒbviəs/
 
/ˈɑːbviəs/
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  1. easy to see or understand synonym clear
    • I know you don't like her but try not to make it so obvious.
    • He agreed with obvious pleasure.
    • obvious (that…) It soon became obvious that the machine did not work.
    • It's painfully obvious that the budget was low for this movie.
    • It's obvious a change is needed.
    • obvious to somebody that… It was obvious to everyone that the child had been badly treated.
    • obvious to somebody The lessons seem fairly obvious to anyone who doesn't work in the Administration.
    • obvious from something that… It's obvious from what she said that something is wrong.
    • For obvious reasons, I'd prefer not to give my name.
    • The reasons for this decision were not immediately obvious.
    • It is blindingly obvious that there is not enough money to finance this public spending programme.
    • obvious how, what, etc. It was far from obvious how they were going to get off the island.
    Synonyms clearclearobvious apparent evident plainThese words all describe something that is easy to see or understand.clear easy to see or understand and leaving no doubts:
    • It was quite clear to me that she was lying.
    obvious easy to see or understand:
    • It’s obvious from what he said that something is wrong.
    apparent [not usually before noun] (rather formal) easy to see or understand:
    • It was apparent from her face that she was really upset.
    evident (rather formal) easy to see or understand:
    • The orchestra played with evident enjoyment.
    plain easy to see or understand:
    • He made it very plain that he wanted us to leave.
    which word?
    • These words all have almost exactly the same meaning. There are slight differences in register and patterns of use. If you make something clear/​plain, you do so deliberately because you want people to understand something; if you make something obvious, you usually do it without meaning to:
      • I hope I make myself obvious.
      • Try not to make it so clear/​plain.
      In the expressions clear majority, for obvious reasons, for no apparent reason and plain to see, none of the other words can be used instead. You can have a clear/​an obvious/​a plain case of something but not:
      • an evident case of something.
    Patterns
    • clear/​obvious/​apparent/​evident/​plain to somebody/​something
    • clear/​obvious/​apparent/​evident/​plain that/​what/​who/​how/​where/​why…
    • to seem/​become/​make something clear/​obvious/​apparent/​evident/​plain
    • perfectly/​quite/​very clear/​obvious/​apparent/​evident/​plain
    Extra Examples
    • It is obvious to me that you're unhappy in your job.
    • It was becoming painfully obvious that the two of them had nothing in common.
    • It was immediately obvious that the bag was too heavy.
    • The ineptitude of the government was all too obvious.
    • He put his book down with obvious annoyance.
    • It's obvious that she'd be upset.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • appear
    • be
    • look
    adverb
    • extremely
    • fairly
    • very
    preposition
    • to
    phrases
    • be so obvious that…
    See full entry
  2. that most people would think of or agree to
    • She was the obvious choice for the job.
    • There's no obvious solution to the problem.
    • This seemed the most obvious thing to do.
    • an obvious example/answer/question
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • appear
    • be
    • look
    adverb
    • extremely
    • fairly
    • very
    preposition
    • to
    phrases
    • be so obvious that…
    See full entry
  3. (disapproving) not interesting, new or showing imagination; unnecessary because it is clear to everyone
    • The ending was pretty obvious.
    • I may be stating the obvious but without more money the project cannot survive.
  4. Word Originlate 16th cent. (in the sense ‘frequently encountered’): from Latin obvius (from the phrase ob viam ‘in the way’) + -ous.
See obvious in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee obvious in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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