conspicuous
English
editEtymology
editFrom Latin conspicuus (“visible, striking”), from cōnspicere (“to notice”), from con- (“with, together”) + specere (“to look at”).
Pronunciation
editAdjective
editconspicuous (comparative more conspicuous, superlative most conspicuous)
- Obvious or easy to notice.
- He was conspicuous by his absence.
- 1928, Lawrence R. Bourne, chapter 7, in Well Tackled![1]:
- “No, don't,” replied the superintendent; “in fact, I'd rather you made yourself conspicuous elsewhere. Go down to the landing stage and cross to New Brighton or Wallasey—doesn't matter which—and come back. No doubt you will be seen, and reported to have gone across.”
- 1964 April, “Letters: Rethinking emergency procedures”, in Modern Railways, page 274:
- [...] 1. Handsignalmen, where needed, ought to wear a conspicuous orange/yellow cape (like many road workmen) to draw attention to them.
- Noticeable or attracting attention, especially if unattractive.
- He had a conspicuous lump on his forehead.
- 1969, Saul Bellow, Mr Sammler's Planet, Penguin Books Ltd, page 6:
- For his height he had a small face. The combination made him conspicuous.
Synonyms
edit- (easy to notice): observable, perceivable; see also Thesaurus:perceptible
- (attracting attention): flashy, prominent
Antonyms
edit- (antonym(s) of “all”): inconspicuous
Derived terms
editRelated terms
editTranslations
editobvious or easy to notice
noticeable or attracting attention, especially if unattractive
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Further reading
edit- w:Conspicuous consumption
- w:Conspicuous leisure
- “conspicuous”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “conspicuous”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “conspicuous”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
Categories:
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *speḱ-
- English terms derived from Latin
- English 4-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- English lemmas
- English adjectives
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations