conspicuous Hear it!

conspicuous Definition

con·spicu·ous (kən spik′yo̵̅o̅ əs)

adjective

  1. easy to see or perceive; obvious a conspicuous billboard
  2. attracting attention by being unexpected, unusual, outstanding, or egregious; striking conspicuous bravery, conspicuous folly

Etymology: L conspicuus, open to view < conspicere, to look at, observe < com-, intens. + specere, see: see spy

conspicuous Related Forms

con·spic′u·ously adverb con·spic′u·ous·ness noun

conspicuous Synonyms

conspicuous

modif.

  1. Attracting attention

    outstanding, striking, eminent, distinguished, celebrated, noted, notable, illustrious, prominent, commanding, well-known, salient, signal, marked, arresting, remarkable, renowned, famed, notorious, flagrant, glaring, gross, rank, important, influential, far-famed, noticeable, the observed of all observers; see also famous, striking.

    Antonyms unknown, inconspicuous*, unsung. *

  2. Obvious

    apparent, evident, distinct; see noticeable, obvious 1. See syn. study at noticeable.

conspicuous Usage Examples

Modifying Another Word

  • particularly: To say that the LDCs package is tokenism of a particularly conspicuous kind would not be a stretch.
  • fairly: The surface may look fairly conspicuous initially and may require covering with a suitable surface material.
  • very: The light form is hard to see; the dark form is very conspicuous.
  • rather: Thanks goodness for that, he said showing rather conspicuous prejudice!
  • highly: If you have played RS3 then you'll know exactly what to expect -- a lot of rescuing hostages and disarming highly conspicuous bombs.
  • too: They come in a range of colors, some in quite muted shades so the dads won't feel too conspicuous.

Preposition: at

time: What is conspicuous at the present time is the strong and growing feeling that education in citizenship is necessary.

Adjective complement with noun phrase

make: Uniforms were boiled in tea in order to make the wearer less conspicuous to the enemy.

Modifies a noun

  • bravery: For most conspicuous bravery at Munster Alley on the 6th August 1916.
  • gallantry: In December last he was awarded the Military Cross " for conspicuous gallantry in action.
  • consumption: Thus we reveal Pompeii's culture of conspicuous consumption under the early emperors.
  • absence: The conspicuous absence of Barn Owls from regions far North & South of the Equator is probably due to its poor adaptation to cold.
  • landmark: Seven counties can be seen from the parapet of the monument, which is a conspicuous landmark from the sea.
  • stripe: One of the smallest ponies I ever saw, of the color of a mouse, had a conspicuous spinal stripe.

Used with adjective complement

  • appear: She couldn't have appeared more conspicuous had she removed the very few clothes she was wearing.
  • remain: Bullfinches remain conspicuous, with some birds calling high overhead.
  • feel: I felt very conspicuous all the time, especially hearing my own voice on tape.
  • become: But knobs and wrinkles on bone surfaces become more conspicuous with age, and they are readily seen in the carcasses of old bulls.
  • look: You could walk with a stoop then, and not look quite so conspicuous.
  • make: It is a large round tower made very conspicuous by the modern lighthouse perched on top.