obvious
Word family
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++ob·vi·ous /ˈɒbviəs $ ˈɑːb-/ ●●● S2 W2 AWL adjective 1 OBVIOUSeasy to notice or understand 显然的，明显的；易理解的 The obvious way of reducing pollution is to use cars less. 减少污染显而易见的办法就是少用汽车。it is obvious (that) It was obvious that Gina was lying. 吉娜显然是在撒谎。obvious to It might be obvious to you, but it isn’t to me. 这对你来说也许很容易理解，但对我却并非如此。2 behaving in a way that shows you want something very badly, when other people think this behaviour is not suitable 露骨的，不加掩饰的 I know you really like him, but you don’t have to be so obvious about it. 我知道你很喜欢他，但你也不必表露得如此明显。3 the/an obvious choice CHOOSEthe person or thing that you would expect everyone to choose 当然的选择 Teaching is an obvious choice of career if you like working with children. 如果你喜欢和孩子打交道，那么教书就是当然的选择。4 the obvious thing (to do) BESTwhat clearly seems the best thing to do 显然最好的做法 The obvious thing is to speak to her before you make a decision. 最好的办法显然是在你作决定前和她谈一谈。5 state the obvious OBVIOUSto say something that is already obvious so it is not necessary to say it 说出明摆着的事，此话可能多余 It is stating the obvious, but regular measurement of blood pressure is essential in older people. 可能不说大家也知道，定期给老人量血压十分必要。 —obviousness noun [uncountable] COLLOCATIONSverbsseem/appear obvious 看上去明显It seems obvious to me that he is guilty. 我看他显然有罪。sound obvious 听上去明显This may sound obvious, but don’t forget to put your name on your paper. 这听起来谁都知道，可还是别忘了在卷子上写好名字。become obvious 变得明显It soon became obvious that the boy was not really interested. 很快就明显看出那男孩并不感兴趣。nounsan obvious reason 显而易见的原因The plan, for obvious reasons, was being kept secret. 出于显而易见的原因，该计划一直保密。an obvious example 明显的例子 This case is an obvious example of what can go wrong. 这件事是说明会出现什么问题的明显例子。an obvious question 明摆着的问题The obvious question is: why? 明摆着的问题是: 为什么？the obvious answer 显而易见的答案nThere is no obvious answer to their problem.adverbsglaringly/blindingly obvious (=extremely obvious) 极为明显的The cause of her problems is glaringly obvious. 她那些问题的原因极其明显。transparently/patently/blatantly obvious (=clearly obvious) 显而易见的His interest in her was blatantly obvious. 他对她的兴趣是非常明显的。painfully obvious (=very obvious, and embarrassing or upsetting) 明显而令人不快的It became painfully obvious that she and Edward had nothing in common. 不幸的是，她和爱德华显然毫无共同点。immediately obvious 立刻就能看出的The cause of the pain was not immediately obvious. 疼痛的原因暂时还不清楚。fairly/quite obvious (also pretty obvious spoken) 相当明显的nThere are some fairly obvious signs of a poor diet. THESAURUSobvious something that is obvious is very easy to notice or understand – used especially when you are surprised that other people cannot notice it 明显的；易理解的〔尤用以表示因别人未加注意而惊讶〕There is an obvious connection between the two murders. 两宗谋杀案之间有明显关联。It was obvious that something was wrong. 显然哪里出问题了。clear easy to notice that something is true, so that you feel sure about it and have no doubts 清楚的，明确的It was clear to me that my father was dying. 我很清楚父亲快死了。There are clear signs of an economic recovery. 有明确迹象显示经济正在复苏。noticeable very easy to notice, especially because you can see, hear, smell, or feel something 显著的〔尤指感官能够感知的〕Steroid drugs cause a noticeable change in someone’s behaviour. 类固醇药物可导致人的行为发生显著变化。Road noise tends to be more noticeable in certain weather conditions. 在某些天气情况下，道路噪声往往会更加明显。conspicuous very easy to notice, because of being different from things around them 〔因与周围事物不同〕显眼的，引人注目的a conspicuous white spot on the bird’s wings 鸟翼上醒目的白色斑点She tried to make herself look less conspicuous. 她尽量让自己不那么惹人注意。nDon’t leave your valuables in a conspicuous place.unmistakable extremely obvious, so that you cannot possibly confuse something with something else 清楚明白的，确定无疑的the unmistakable sound of gunfire 确定无疑的枪炮声The flower’s scent is unmistakable. 这花的香气绝不会搞错。self-evident formal facts, ideas etc that are self-evident are obvious and true, although some people may not accept them or know about them 不证自明的；显而易见的The facts in this case are self-evident and cannot be denied. 本案的事实显而易见，无法否认。We hold these truths to be self-evident (=we believe that they are obvious and true – from the American Declaration of Independence). 我们认为下面这些真理是不言而喻的(引自美国《独立宣言》)。blatant use this about something that someone does which is clearly bad, but which they do not seem to be ashamed of 公然的，恬不知耻的a blatant lie 无耻的谎言The bill is a blatant attempt to limit our right to free speech. 该法案公然妄图限制我们的言论自由。can tell to know that something must be true because you can see signs that show this 看得出Even though it was dark, she could tell it was him. 尽管天很黑，她还是认出来是他。How can you tell if you’ve broken your arm? 你怎么知道自己的胳膊有没有断？Examples from the Corpus
obvious• The benefits of truth-telling are obvious.• She tried to look grateful, but her disappointment was obvious.• There is an obvious connection between the two murders.• It was obvious from the start that my parents disliked Nancy.• But the instability of the political structures and other weaknesses were obvious in the struggles between the factions within the party.• They expressed their surprise since they, like the doctors who treated them, associated obvious injury with obvious pain.• "Why is she leaving?" "Well, it's obvious, isn't it?"• an obvious mistake• The solution is also obvious - please check envelopes are not too tightly packed, if in doubt use a bigger envelope!• There are obvious problems for the stability of the state if these different groups are in conflict with each other.• There was no obvious reason for their behavior.• For obvious reasons, we've had to cancel tonight's performance.• It's obvious that Paul is in love with Liz.• It's obvious that something is wrong.• From the moment they joined the others outside the shop, it was obvious that the twins were sulking.• It should be obvious to everyone that we need to make some changes.it is obvious (that)• The fish-feeders' dependence on it is obvious.• In a sense it is obvious - most people have an intuitive idea of what complexity means.• If we have only rapid successions of frenetic emotive surges, it is obvious that a short piece will result.• Yet it is obvious that an election is the last thing the current leaders want.• From his later writings it is obvious that he was quite fascinated by the entire operation and its execution.• While man thinks he is already awake it is obvious that the much-needed awakening which Esotericism requires will never be forthcoming.• From watching raindrops, bubbles and insects walking on ponds it is obvious that water and other liquids have a surface tension.• But it is obvious when this will occur.Origin obvious (1500-1600) Latin obvius, from obviam; → OBVIATEob·vi·ous adjective →COLLOCATIONS1 →THESAURUS1LDOCE OnlineChineseSyllable
notice or easy to Corpus understand
obvious
ob‧vi‧ous S2 W2 AC /ˈɒbviəs $ ˈɑːb-/
adjective1. easy to notice or understand:
The obvious way of reducing pollution is to use cars less.
it is obvious (that)
It was obvious that Gina was lying.
obvious to
It might be obvious to you, but it isn’t to me.
2. behaving in a way that shows you want something very badly, when other people think this behaviour is not suitable:
I know you really like him, but you don’t have to be so obvious about it.
3. the/an obvious choice the person or thing that you would expect everyone to choose:
Teaching is an obvious choice of career if you like working with children.
4. the obvious thing (to do) what clearly seems the best thing to do:
The obvious thing is to speak to her before you make a decision.
5. state the obvious to say something that is already obvious so it is not necessary to say it:
It is stating the obvious, but regular measurement of blood pressure is essential in older people.
—obviousness noun [uncountable]
■ verbs
▪seem/appear obvious It seems obvious to me that he is guilty.
▪sound obvious This may sound obvious, but don’t forget to put your name on your paper.
▪become obvious It soon became obvious that the boy was not really interested.
■ nouns
▪an obvious reason The plan, for obvious reasons, was being kept secret.
▪an obvious example This case is an obvious example of what can go wrong.
▪an obvious question The obvious question is: why?
▪the obvious answer There is no obvious answer to their problem.
■ adverbs
▪glaringly/blindingly obvious (=extremely obvious) The cause of her problems is glaringly obvious.
▪transparently/patently/blatantly obvious (=clearly obvious) His interest in her was blatantly obvious.
▪painfully obvious (=very obvious, and embarrassing or upsetting) It became painfully obvious that she and Edward had nothing in common.
▪immediately obvious The cause of the pain was not immediately obvious.
▪fairly/quite obvious (also pretty obvious spoken) There are some fairly obvious signs of a poor diet.
▪ obvious something that is obvious is very easy to notice or understand – used especially when you are surprised that other people cannot notice it: There is an obvious connection between the two murders. | It was obvious that something was wrong.
▪clear easy to notice that something is true, so that you feel sure about it and have no doubts: It was clear to me that my father was dying. | There are clear signs of an economic recovery.
▪noticeable very easy to notice, especially because you can see, hear, smell, or feel something: Steroid drugs cause a noticeable change in someone’s behaviour. | Road noise tends to be more noticeable in certain weather conditions.
▪conspicuous very easy to notice, because of being different from things around them: a conspicuous white spot on the bird’s wings | She tried to make herself look less conspicuous. | Don’t leave your valuables in a conspicuous place.
▪unmistakable extremely obvious, so that you cannot possibly confuse something with something else: the unmistakable sound of gunfire | The flower’s scent is unmistakable.
▪self-evident formal facts, ideas etc that are self-evident are obvious and true, although some people may not accept them or know about them: The facts in this case are self-evident and cannot be denied. | We hold these truths to be self-evident (=we believe that they obvious and true – from the American Declaration of Independence).
▪blatant use this about something that someone does which is clearly bad, but which they do not seem to be ashamed of: a blatant lie | The bill is a blatant attempt to limit our right to free speech.
▪can tell to know that something must be true because you can see signs that show this: Even though it was dark, she could tell it was him. | How can you tell if you’ve broken your arm?
ob‧vi‧ous S2 W2 AC /ˈɒbviəs $ ˈɑːb-/
adjective1. easy to notice or understand: it is obvious (that)
obvious to
2. behaving in a way that shows you want something very badly, when other people think this behaviour is not suitable:
3. the/an obvious choice the person or thing that you would expect everyone to choose:
4. the obvious thing (to do) what clearly seems the best thing to do:
5. state the obvious to say something that is already obvious so it is not necessary to say it:
—obviousness noun [uncountable]
| COLLOCATIONS |
▪
▪
▪
■ nouns
▪
▪
▪
▪
■ adverbs
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
| THESAURUS |
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
clear easy to see or understand and leaving no doubts 指显而易见的、明白易懂的、清楚的、明确的 ：◆ It was quite clear to me that she was lying. 我十分清楚她在撒谎。 obvious easy to see or understand 指明显的、显然的、易理解的 ：◆ It's obvious from what he said that something is wrong. 根据他所说的，显然是出问题了。 apparent [ ( easy to see or understandrather
指显而易见、明白易懂、显然 ：◆ It was apparent from her face that she was really upset. 从面容上一眼就可以看出她确实心绪烦乱。 evident ( easy to see or understandrather
指清楚的、明白的、显然的 ：◆ The orchestra played with evident enjoyment. 管弦乐队演奏得兴致勃勃。 plain easy to see or understand 指清楚的、明显的、浅白的 ：◆ He made it veryplain that he wanted us to leave.他明确表示要我们离开。
which word? 词语辨析
These words all have almost exactly the same meaning. There are slight differences in register and patterns of use. If you make sth clear/plain , you do so deliberately because you want people to understand sth; if youmake sth obvious , you usually do it without meaning to.以上各词意思几乎相同，只是在语体风格和句型使用上稍有区别。make sth clear/plain 表示刻意为使别人明白；make sth obvious 通常并非刻意 ：◆ I hope I make myself obvious. ◆ Try not to make it so clear/plain. In the expressions clear majority ,for obvious reasons ,for no apparent reason andplain to see , none of the other words can be used instead. You can havea clear/an obvious/a plain case of sth but not◆ an evident case of sth 在 clear majority（明显多数）、for obvious reasons（因为显而易见的原因）、for no apparent reason（没有明显的原因）和 plain to see（显而易见）中，表示 “明显” 的词不能替换。可以用 clear/obvious/plain case of sth（明显的情况），但不能用 an evident case of sth。
Patterns
clear/obvious/apparent/evident/plain to sb/sthclear/obvious/apparent/evident/plain that/what/who/how/where/why… to seem/become/make sth clear/obvious/apparent/evident/plainperfectly/quite/very clear/obvious/apparent/evident/plain