Apparent

1. Capable of being seen, or easily seen; open to view; visible to the eye, eyely; within sight or view.
2. Clear or manifest to the understanding; plain; evident; obvious; known; palpable; indubitable.
3. Appearing to the eye or mind (distinguished from, but not necessarily opposed to, true or real); seeming.

Usage notes

• The word apparent has two common uses that are almost in opposition. One means roughly “clear; clearly true”, and serves to make a statement more decisive:It was apparent that no one knew the answer. (=No one knew the answer, and it showed.)
• The other is roughly “seeming; to all appearances”, and serves to make a statement less decisive:The apparent source of the hubbub was a stray kitten. (=There was a stray kitten, and it seemed to be the source of the hubbub.)
• The same ambivalence occurs with the derived adverb apparently, which usually means “seemingly” but can also mean “clearly”, especially when it is modified by another adverb, such as quite.

Synonyms

• (easy to see): visible, conspicuous, distinct, plain, obvious, clear
• (easy to understand): distinct, plain, obvious, clear, certain, evident, manifest, indubitable, notorious, transparent
• (seeming to be the case): illusory, superficial

Antonyms

• (within sight or view): hidden, invisible
• (clear to the understanding): ambiguous, obscure