unobtrusive

[ uhn-uhb-troo-siv ]

adjective

1. not obtrusive; inconspicuous, unassertive, or reticent.

unobtrusive

/ ˌʌnəbˈtruːsɪv /

adjective

1. not noticeable or conspicuous

Derived Forms

• ˌunobˈtrusively, adverb

Other Words From

• unob·trusive·ly adverb
• unob·tru·sive·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unobtrusive¹

First recorded in 1735–45; un- ¹ + obtrusive

Example Sentences

Watch her three short films — “Medusa,” “Hannahs” and “If Found,” all available on YouTube — and you’ll glimpse the unobtrusive, observant style she brings to “Good One,” which captures the still-festering male rivalry between middle-aged friends.

From Los Angeles Times

Nazi concentration-camp guards used to enjoy unobtrusive second acts by embedding themselves into American middle-class communities.

From Salon

Using cheap point-and-shoot cameras — they were unobtrusive and produced grainy shots that, to her, represented the messiness of life — Ms. van Manen captured intimate images of daily life in China, post-Soviet Russia and coal miners in Kentucky.

From New York Times

Guest services are suitably thorough and unobtrusive.

From Los Angeles Times

On the sixth day, we realised no safe place remained in Kigali so we joined the exodus - trying to be as unobtrusive as possible at the roadblocks manned by machete-wielding militia men.

From BBC

Related Words

• inconspicuous
• low-key
• restrained
• self-effacing
• subdued
• unassuming
• unpretentious