Conspicuous — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective /kən-ˈspi-kyə-wəs/ con·spic·u·ous

Meaning & Definition of Conspicuous

Conspicuous (adjective)

  1. obvious to the eye or mind
  2. attracting attention, striking
  3. marked by a noticeable violation of good taste

Conspicuous (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. likely to attract attention

    "the seven-foot-tall basketball player is conspicuous in any crowd"

    similar: arresting, bodacious, bold, brilliant, catchy, commanding, dramatic, emphatic, eye-catching, flamboyant, grabby, kenspeckle (chiefly Scottish), marked, noisy, noticeable, prominent, pronounced, remarkable, showy, splashy, striking
    related: detectable, discernible, observable, perceptible, recognizable, visible, outstanding, salient, distinguished, eminent, impressive, notable, noteworthy, highlighted, spotlighted, flagrant, glaring, howling, screaming, flashy, garish, gaudy, glitzy, jazzy, loud, meretricious, swank, tawdry, highfalutin, ostentatious, pretentious, extravagant, fancy, florid, glittery, spectacular, opulent, ornate, overdone, overwrought, absorbing, engrossing, enthralling, fascinating, interesting, riveting
    opposite: inconspicuous, unemphatic, unflamboyant, unnoticeable, unobtrusive, unremarkable, unshowy
    near: subtle, concealed, hidden, shrouded, dim, faint, obscure, insignificant, undistinguished, unimportant, modest, unaffected, unassuming, unpretentious, conservative, plain, quiet, simple, understated, muted, restrained, subdued, toned-down, unflashy

  2. very noticeable especially for being incorrect or bad

    "conspicuous bureaucratic waste that drives taxpayers crazy"

    similar: blatant, egregious, flagrant, glaring, gross, obvious, patent, pronounced, rank, striking
    related: arresting, clear, distinct, dramatic, emphatic, evident, eye-catching, marked, notable, noticeable, outstanding, plain, prominent, remarkable, salient, showy, splashy, absolute, arrant, downright, out-and-out, outright, sheer, stark, utter, detectable, discernible, observable, perceptible, visible, abominable, atrocious, awful, deplorable, execrable, heinous, lousy, monstrous, outrageous, preposterous, shameful, shocking, terrible, wretched
    near: imperceptible, inconspicuous, unnoticeable, unobtrusive, inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, slight, small, trifling, trivial, concealed, hidden, invisible

Related Entry: Conspicuous consumption (noun)

Conspicuous consumption is a different word from Conspicuous. The synonyms below are for conspicuous consumption, not for conspicuous.

  1. as in splurge

    similar: splurge, extravagance, extravagancy, lavishness, prodigality, profusion, wastefulness, bountifulness, generosity, liberality, improvidence, squandering, indulgence, overindulgence, self-indulgence, excess, immoderacy, overkill
    opposite: economy, frugality, penny-pinching, austerity, moderation, restraint, temperance

Related Entry: Absence (noun)

Absence is a different word from Conspicuous. The synonyms below are for absence, not for conspicuous.

  1. a state of being without something necessary, desirable, or useful

    "the absence of volunteers to be troop leaders is putting the scouting program in real jeopardy"

    similar: lack, need, needfulness, want
    related: deficiency, deficit, inadequacy, insufficiency, dearth, meagerness, paucity, poverty, scantiness, scarceness, scarcity, shortage, skimpiness, defect, minus, deprivation, famishment, privation, demand, essential, necessity, requirement, requisite
    near: adequacy, enough, sufficiency, fund, pool, stock, supply, excess, fill, overabundance, oversupply, plenty, surfeit, surplus, hoard, stockpile

  2. the fact or state of being absent

    "in the absence of ferry service to the island, the ecotourists had to charter a plane"

    similar: dearth, lack, want
    related: deficiency, deficit, failure, famine, inadequacy, inadequateness, insufficiency, meagerness, paucity, poverty, scantiness, scantness, scarceness, scarcity, shortage, skimpiness, undersupply, deprivation, loss, necessity, need, needfulness, omission, privation, blankness, emptiness, vacuity, vacuum, void
    opposite: presence
    near: abundance, amplitude, bounty, plenitude, plenteousness, plentifulness, plentitude, plenty, wealth, adequacy, sufficiency, excess, overabundance, oversupply, superabundance, surfeit, surplus, deluge, flood, bushel, deal, gobs, heap, loads, lot, mass, mountain, much, oodles, peck, pile, pot, quantity, raft, reams, scads, stack, volume, wad, fund, pool, stock, supply, cache, hoard, stash, stockpile

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Conspicuous

The most common words with a similar meaning to Conspicuous:

Chiefly Scottish: kenspeckle
arresting, bodacious, bold, brilliant, catchy, commanding, dramatic, emphatic, eye-catching, flamboyant, grabby, marked, noisy, noticeable, prominent, pronounced, remarkable, showy, splashy, striking, blatant, egregious, flagrant, glaring, gross, obvious, patent, rank

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Conspicuous

Words with the opposite meaning of Conspicuous:

inconspicuous, unemphatic, unflamboyant, unnoticeable, unobtrusive, unremarkable, unshowy

Related Words for Conspicuous

detectable, discernible, observable, perceptible, recognizable, visible, outstanding, salient, distinguished, eminent, impressive, notable, noteworthy, highlighted, spotlighted, howling, screaming, flashy, garish, gaudy, glitzy, jazzy, loud, meretricious, swank, tawdry, highfalutin, ostentatious, pretentious, extravagant

Near Antonyms of Conspicuous

subtle, concealed, hidden, shrouded, dim, faint, obscure, insignificant, undistinguished, unimportant, modest, unaffected, unassuming, unpretentious, conservative, plain, quiet, simple, understated, muted, restrained, subdued, toned-down, unflashy, imperceptible, inconsequential, inconsiderable, slight, small, trifling

Word Forms of Conspicuous

Derived words: conspicuously (adverb), conspicuousness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Conspicuous

Latin conspicuus, from conspicere to get sight of, from com- + specere to look spy

First known use: circa 1545

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Conspicuous

Words & Phrases Containing Conspicuous

conspicuous consumption

Frequently Asked Questions about Conspicuous

What does "Conspicuous" mean?

"Conspicuous" means obvious to the eye or mind. As an adjective, it is defined as: obvious to the eye or mind. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Conspicuous"?

Other words for "Conspicuous" include arresting, bodacious, bold, brilliant, catchy, commanding, dramatic and emphatic. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Conspicuous" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Conspicuous"?

There are 99 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Conspicuous". Common alternatives include arresting, bodacious, bold, brilliant, catchy, commanding, dramatic, emphatic, eye-catching and flamboyant.

What is the opposite of "Conspicuous"?

Antonyms of "Conspicuous" include inconspicuous, unemphatic, unflamboyant, unnoticeable, unobtrusive, unremarkable and unshowy. Near antonyms include subtle, concealed, hidden and shrouded.

How do you use "Conspicuous" in a sentence?

Examples of "Conspicuous" in a sentence: "the seven-foot-tall basketball player is conspicuous in any crowd"; "conspicuous bureaucratic waste that drives taxpayers crazy".

Is "Conspicuous" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Conspicuous" is an adjective.

Is "Conspicuous" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C2-level word, "Conspicuous" is typical of Cambridge C2 Proficiency (CPE), IELTS band 8.5–9.0, TOEFL iBT 114–120, PTE Academic 85–90. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Conspicuous"?

"Conspicuous" is pronounced /kən-ˈspi-kyə-wəs/ and divided into syllables as con·spic·u·ous.