apparent

[ uh-pair-uhnt, uh-par- ]

adjective

1. readily seen; exposed to sight; open to view; visible:

   The crack in the wall was readily apparent.

   Synonyms: discernible

2. capable of being easily perceived or understood; plain or clear; obvious:

   The solution to the problem was apparent to all.

   Synonyms: unmistakable, manifest, conspicuous, open

   Antonyms: obscure

3. according to appearances, initial evidence, incomplete results, etc.; ostensible rather than actual:

   He was the apparent winner of the election.

4. entitled to a right of inheritance by birth, indefeasible except by one's death before that of the ancestor, to an inherited throne, title, or other estate. Compare heir apparent, heir presumptive.

apparent

/ əˈpɛər-; əˈpærənt /

adjective

1. readily seen or understood; evident; obvious
2. usually prenominal seeming, as opposed to real

   his apparent innocence belied his complicity in the crime

3. physics as observed but ignoring such factors as the motion of the observer, changes in the environment, etc Compare true

Derived Forms

• apˈparentness, noun

Other Words From

• ap·par·ent·ly adverb
• ap·par·ent·ness noun
• non·ap·par·ent adjective
• non·ap·par·ent·ly adverb
• non·ap·par·ent·ness noun
• self-ap·parent adjective
• sub·ap·par·ent adjective
• sub·ap·par·ent·ly adverb
• sub·ap·par·ent·ness noun
• un·ap·par·ent adjective
• un·ap·par·ent·ly adverb
• un·ap·par·ent·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of apparent¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin appārent-, stem of appārēns “appearing,” present participle of appārēre “to come into view, become visible”; replacing Middle English aparant, from Middle French; appear

Word History and Origins

Origin of apparent¹

C14: from Latin appārēns, from appārēre to appear

Synonym Study

Apparent, evident, obvious, patent all refer to something easily perceived. Apparent applies to that which can readily be seen or perceived: an apparent effort. Evident applies to that which facts or circumstances make plain: His innocence was evident. Obvious applies to that which is unquestionable, because of being completely manifest or noticeable: an obvious change of method. Patent, a more formal word, applies to that which is open to view or understanding by all: a patent error.

Example Sentences

If the most immediate area requiring improvement is readily apparent, the bigger picture remains Ireland's transition from a team for today into one built for tomorrow.

From BBC

The humanity of these families and the trauma deportation would inflict are of no apparent concern to the incoming administration.

From Los Angeles Times

Musk’s disdain for the government, long apparent, has become a frequent subject of his social media posts since Trump’s election last week.

From Los Angeles Times

The high quality of his work from that period is apparent on such classic recordings as Parker’s “Anthropology,” Miles Davis’ “Morpheus” and Bud Powell’s “Bouncing With Bud.”

From Los Angeles Times

It was only when she arrived at college that other opportunities became apparent.

From BBC

Related Words

• clear
• conspicuous
• discernible
• evident
• glaring
• noticeable
• overt
• palpable
• understandable
• unmistakable
• visible

More About Apparent

What does apparent mean?

Apparent means clear, obvious, or easily observed.

It’s also commonly used in a way that means based on the appearance of things, as opposed to what is definitely true. Something described as apparent in this way has not been confirmed or proven, and the word is often used in this way in journalism, as in The video shows the suspect in an apparent altercation with the store clerk. 

The adverb form of apparent is apparently, which is most often used to refer to things that appear a certain way but may not actually be so.

Example: He hasn’t said so, but he’s made it very apparent that he wants to take a vacation—the other day he put on a video of ocean waves and sat in front of it in a beach chair.

Where does apparent come from?

The first records of apparent come from the second half of the 1300s. It comes from the Latin appārēns, meaning “appearing.”

When we describe something as apparent, we mean it can be obviously seen or observed. This is often literal, as in The leak was apparent from the water damage on the ceiling. Apparent is also often used to refer to things that are simply obvious, whether you can literally see them or not. When you’re presented with more and more evidence of something, it becomes increasingly apparent. When we say that something has happened or someone has done something for no apparent reason, we mean it has happened or been done for no reason that’s obvious or that we can observe—often this implies it has been done for no reason at all.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to apparent?

• apparently (adverb)
• apparentness (noun)
• nonapparent (adjective)
• nonapparently (adverb)

What are some synonyms for apparent?

• evident
• obvious
• clear
• plain

What are some words that share a root or word element with apparent? 

• appear
• appearance

What are some words that often get used in discussing apparent?

• alleged
• ostensible
• supposed
• possible
• seem
• probable
• according

How is apparent used in real life?

Apparent is a very common word that can be used in all kinds of contexts dealing with things that are obvious or that have been observed.

Our world is over two thirds ocean, this becomes very apparent when seen from space. Image taken by @Astro_Alex during his #Horizons mission from the International @Space_Station. #WorldOceansDay2020 https://t.co/sg7Io3Y0XU pic.twitter.com/fSbZbcYfsn

— Human Spaceflight (@esaspaceflight) June 8, 2020

The police tactic of "kettling" involves encircling a group of people and then moving in to make arrests. In some cases, New York police officers have swung batons at demonstrators without apparent provocation. https://t.co/coikP7JFvm

— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 6, 2020

It has become increasingly apparent that I don't know how to dress myself outside of t-shirts and jeans. I wasn't always like this, I swear.

— Russell Holly (@russellholly) September 4, 2017

 

 

Try using apparent!

Which of the following terms is NOT a synonym of apparent?

A. evident
B. unclear
C. obvious
D. observable