Word
Definition
adj. easy to see, hear, or understand. You use this when something is so clear that nobody needs to explain it to you.
adj. easily perceived or understood; self-evident. Frequently used to describe facts, solutions, or physical traits that require no inference or deduction.
Examples
“The answer to the question is obvious.”
“It was obvious from the dark clouds that a heavy storm would arrive soon.”
“While the solution seemed obvious in hindsight, the team spent weeks navigating the subtle technical hurdles that had initially obscured the path forward.”
Examples
simple
“The answer to the question is obvious.”
contextual
“It was obvious from the dark clouds that a heavy storm would arrive soon.”
complex
“While the solution seemed obvious in hindsight, the team spent weeks navigating the subtle technical hurdles that had initially obscured the path forward.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “obvious” in context.
Verb
01. become obvious
“It soon became obvious that the two companies could not work together.”
verb + adj
02. make obvious
“She made it obvious that she was not happy with the decision.”
verb + adj
Adjective
03. blindingly obvious
“The solution to the problem was blindingly obvious once we saw the data.”
adv + adj
04. immediately obvious
“The benefits of the new system were not immediately obvious to the staff.”
adv + adj
Noun
05. obvious choice
“With her experience, she was the obvious choice for the promotion.”
adj + noun
06. obvious reason
“There is no obvious reason why the machine stopped working.”
adj + noun
07. obvious question
08. obvious one
09. barrier obvious
10. experience obvious
11. for obvious reasons
“They decided to keep the location secret for obvious reasons.”
12. make it painfully obvious
“His body language made it painfully obvious that he was bored.”
Usage
Often follows 'it is' as a dummy subject (e.g., 'It is obvious that...').
Etymology
16th century, from Latin obvius (“being in the way so as to meet, meeting, easy to access, at hand, ready, obvious”) + -ous, from ob- (“before”) + via (“way”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
ADJECTIVE
ADVERB
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- B1 · IntermediateOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/obvious
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0