obvious — ob·vi·ous adj: easily seen, discovered, or understood; specif: readily apparent to a person of ordinary skill in a particular art considering the scope and content of the prior art see also patent ◇ An invention that is found to be obvious cannot … Law dictionary
Obvious — Ob vi*ous, a. [L. obvius; ob (see {Ob }) + via way. See {Voyage}.] 1. Opposing; fronting. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] To the evil turn My obvious breast. Milton. [1913 Webster] 2. Exposed; subject; open; liable. [Obs.] Obvious to dispute. Milton. [1913 … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
obvious — (adj.) 1580s, frequently met with, from L. obvius that is in the way, presenting itself readily, commonplace, from obviam (adv.) in the way, from ob against (see OB (Cf. ob )) + viam, accusative of via way (see VIA (Cf. via)). Meani … Etymology dictionary
obvious — *evident, manifest, patent, distinct, apparent, palpable, plain, clear Analogous words: prominent, conspicuous, salient, signal, striking (see NOTICEABLE) Antonyms: obscure: abstruse … New Dictionary of Synonyms
obvious — [adj] apparent, understandable accessible, barefaced, bright, clear, clear as a bell*, conclusive, conspicuous, discernible, distinct, distinguishable, evident, explicit, exposed, glaring, indisputable, in evidence, lucid, manifest, noticeable,… … New thesaurus
obvious — ► ADJECTIVE 1) easily perceived or understood; clear. 2) derogatory predictable and lacking in subtlety. DERIVATIVES obviously adverb obviousness noun. ORIGIN originally in the sense «frequently encountered»: from Latin ob viam in the way … English terms dictionary
obvious — [äb′vē əs] adj. [L obvius, in the way, lying open: see OB & VIA] 1. easy to see or understand; plain; evident 2. Obs. being in the way SYN. EVIDENT obviously adv. obviousness n … English World dictionary
obvious */*/*/ — UK [ˈɒbvɪəs] / US [ˈɑbvɪəs] adjective 1) clear to almost anyone The most obvious explanation is not always the correct one. I d have thought that was fairly obvious, James retorted. a glaringly obvious mistake for obvious reasons: For obvious… … English dictionary
obvious — ob|vi|ous [ abviəs ] adjective *** 1. ) clear to almost anyone: The most obvious explanation is not always the correct one. I d have thought that was fairly obvious, James retorted. a glaringly obvious mistake for obvious reasons: For obvious… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
obvious — ob|vi|ous W2S2 [ˈɔbviəs US ˈa:b ] adj [Date: 1500 1600; : Latin; Origin: obvius, from obviam; OBVIATE] 1.) easy to notice or understand ▪ The obvious way of reducing pollution is to use cars less. ▪ For obvious reasons the police cannot give any… … Dictionary of contemporary English