Obvious

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "Obvious" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it to indicate that something is clear or easily understood. Example: "The solution to the problem was obvious to everyone." Alternative expressions include "evident" and "clear."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

"It was quite obvious it was my shoes that was an issue".

The Guardian - Film

The answer is not obvious.

The Economist

"If what I have been told is true then it will be obvious to everyone that I find myself caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.

The Guardian

The perils of crashing are obvious, but being trapped behind a crash when the road is blocked with bodies and bikes is equally perturbing.

The Guardian - Sport

The reason is obvious.

The New York Times

The UN is not the obvious forum for discussing debt restructuring: unlike the International Monetary Fund, it is not a lender of last resort with emergency cash to disburse, and doesn't have a seat around the table when countries have to go to their creditors to ask for help.

The Guardian - Business

By the age of 20, Schiele was being recognised as the heir to Klimt and indeed Klimt's early influence on Schiele's graphic style is very obvious and understandable.

The Guardian - Arts

Related: Boom and dust: uncertain future for the mining town run by Rio Tinto "There were so many emotions and mostly it boiled down to feeling stressed, and the obvious place to come was the practice," Chalmers tells Guardian Australia.

The Guardian

To people within the economics profession, Yellen's qualifications are obvious.

The Guardian - Opinion

It seems obvious that the happiness of our citizens is what ultimately matters (though if you believe that the rights of non-human animals are just as important then I might be sympathetic to such a caveat).

The Guardian

This will be of obvious interest to our political leaders who will want to see the proportion coming down.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

In professional writing, pair it with specific evidence to avoid sounding dismissive of the reader's intelligence.

Common error

Writers often use intensifiers like "very obvious" or "completely obvious". Since the word inherently implies total clarity, these modifiers are frequently redundant. Focus on the context rather than adding extra adjectives.

Linguistic Context

As demonstrated by Ludwig, "Obvious" functions primarily as an adjective that characterizes a state of being self-evident or easily understood. It frequently appears as a predicative adjective following linking verbs such as "to be" or "to seem", as seen in the phrase "the reason is obvious".

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

75%

Science

15%

Professional

10%

Less common in

Social Media

5%

Wiki

3%

Encyclopedias

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

According to Ludwig AI and the extensive dataset provided, "Obvious" remains one of the most reliable adjectives in the English language for expressing clarity and self-evidence. It is widely utilized across elite journalistic platforms like The Guardian and The New York Times to ground arguments in indisputable facts. While its grammatical status is beyond reproach, writers should be mindful of its rhetorical impact; using it too frequently can occasionally appear dismissive in sensitive contexts. To elevate one's writing, it is often beneficial to swap "Obvious" for more nuanced synonyms such as "evident" or "unmistakable" depending on whether the emphasis is on physical visibility or logical certainty.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

evident

Implies presence of external signs or evidence that makes a fact clear

apparent

Suggests something that is visible or understood but might not necessarily be true upon deeper inspection

unmistakable

Emphasizes that there is no possibility of confusion or misinterpretation

clear-cut

Suggests a situation or answer that is distinct and free from ambiguity

manifest

Often used in more formal or literary contexts to describe something clearly revealed to the eye or mind

self-explanatory

Indicates that the thing itself contains all the information needed to understand it

conspicuous

Focuses specifically on being physically visible or attracting attention

glaring

Describes something highly obvious in a way that is typically negative or impossible to ignore

palpable

Suggests a clarity so intense that it feels as though it could be touched

axiomatic

A technical or philosophical term for something that is self-evidently true and requires no proof

FAQs

What is a more formal way to say "Obvious"?

In formal or academic writing, you can use terms like ""evident"", "manifest" or "axiomatic" to sound more precise.

Is it considered rude to call something "Obvious"?

It can be perceived as condescending if used to dismiss someone's question. Instead, try phrases like "as one might expect" or "it is clear that" to maintain a polite tone.

Can I use "Obvious" in scientific papers?

Yes, but use it sparingly. Scientists often prefer "demonstrable" or "observable" to emphasize that the clarity comes from data rather than intuition.

What is the difference between "Obvious" and "Apparent"?

While "Obvious" implies something is definitely true and clear, ""apparent"" can sometimes suggest that something only seems to be true on the surface but might be different underneath.