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obvious

Etymology and origin of the English word obvious

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1583
Borrowed from
Latin obvius
Ultimate origin
Latin (obvius)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin obvius
English obvious

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈɒb.vi.əs/, US /ˈɑːb.vi.əs/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin obvius (“that is in the way; presenting itself readily, open, exposed; commonplace”),[2][3] from obviam (“in the way, towards”),[2][3] from ob “in front of, against” and viam, the accusative of via (“way”),[2][3][4] from Proto-Indo-European *wegh- (“to go, move, transport in a vehicle”),[2][4] with the suffix -ous.[3][5] It is related to obviate, via and way.[6][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

“Frequently met with, commonly found”, a sense now obsolete: 1583 in Merriam-Webster Unabridged,[7] 1586 in Barnhart and the OED,[3][8] the 1580s in Etymonline.[2]

Semantic evolution

“Standing in the way, placed in front of” is from 1603,[8] and “exposed or open to” from 1601, both obsolete.[8] The modern meaning, “plain to see, perfectly evident”, is first recorded in 1635,[3][8] the 1630s in Etymonline.[2] The obvious, obvious things, is from 1903.[8]

Timeline

  • 1583 – frequently met with.[7]
  • 1603 – standing in the way.[8]
  • 1635 – plain, evident.[3][8]
  • 1903 – the obvious.[8]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Easily seen or understood; quite apparent.
  2. Lacking subtlety; easily seen through: an obvious ploy.
  3. (archaic) Standing in the way or in front.

Word family

  • obviously
  • obviousness
  • nonobvious
  • overobvious
  • unobvious
  • obviate
  • via
  • way
  • convey

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  5. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Obvious.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/obvious. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·