English Reference
Adjective

evident

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US /ˈɛvədənt/ UK /ˈɛvɪdənt/ ev·i·dent

adj.easy to see or understand. You use this when something is so clear that nobody needs to explain it to you.

adj.plainly visible or easily understood; obvious. Frequently used in formal or academic contexts to introduce a logical conclusion or an observable fact.


SIMPLE

It was evident that she was very tired.

CONTEXTUAL

The success of the new policy became evident when the local employment rates began to rise steadily.

COMPLEX

While the immediate benefits of the merger were evident to the shareholders, the long-term impact on the company's internal culture remained a subject of intense debate among the staff.

Usage

Commonly follows a linking verb like 'be', 'become', or 'seem'. Often used in the construction 'it is evident that...'.

Pitfall
It is evident for me that he is lyingIt is evident to me that he is lying

When specifying the person who perceives the fact, use the preposition 'to' rather than 'for'.

Usage increasingly evident · particularly evident

The effects were evident for at least two hours and generally disappeared within four to six hours, the study found.

BBC News· 15 Aug 2026

This was particularly evident in games involving top clubs.

Phys.org· 17 Aug 2026

Common in history writing


From Middle English evident, from Old French evident, from Latin ēvidēns (“visible, apparent, clear, plain”) (compare Late Latin ēvideor (“to appear plainly”)), from ē (“out”) + videō (“see”), present participle vidēns, deponent videor (“to appear, seem”). Displaced native Old English sweotol.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Latin ēvidēns
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated