Etymologically
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blatant

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 02:40. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈbleɪtənt/[1]

Etymology

It was coined by Edmund Spenser in The Faerie Queene (1596),[2][3][4][5] in the phrase blatant beast.[2][3][4] It may have been suggested by Latin blatire (“to babble”),[6][2][3][7][5] or by English blatter “to chatter”, from Latin blaterare (“to babble”).[2] The American Heritage Dictionary sees it as formed on the model of words such as rampant.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Spenser's blatant beast, a thousand-tongued monster standing for slander (1596).[2][3][4]

Semantic evolution

By the 1650s it was in general use for people or speech that were noisy in a vulgar or offensive way,[3][4] and for loud bleating or bellowing.[4] In the late 19th century (1889) the sense moved from the ear to the eye: glaringly or defiantly conspicuous.[4][3] This is now the main meaning, as in a blatant lie.[5][7]

Timeline

  • 1596 – blatant beast, in Spenser.[4][2][3]
  • 1610 – noun, one with a blatant tongue (obsolete).[4]
  • 1656 – noisy, offensively clamorous.[4][3]
  • 1889 – glaringly conspicuous.[4][3]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Completely obvious, without any attempt to hide it; flagrant.
  2. Offensively loud or noisy; clamorous.
  3. Tastelessly conspicuous.

Word family

  • blatancy
  • blatantly

Usage notes

Blatant and flagrant are often confused.[6] Blatant stresses the failure to hide an act (a blatant attempt to whitewash), while flagrant stresses how serious the offence itself is (a flagrant violation of human rights).[6] The American Heritage Dictionary advises against using blatant to mean simply “obvious”.[6]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  7. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster