Nonobvious

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Not easily noticeable or immediately clear, often necessitating thoughtful examination for comprehension or discovery
2. Difficult to perceive or recognize at first glance, thereby demanding a more profound investigation to unveil or grasp
3. Not readily visible or understood without careful thought or analysis

Etymology: "Nonobvious" is a plain formation: the prefix "non-" attached to "obvious," meaning "not easily seen." The prefix comes from Latin "non," meaning "not," which English has used freely for centuries to negate existing words. "Obvious" comes from Latin "obvius," literally "in the way," built from "ob" ("in front of, against") and "via" ("road"). An obvious thing was once something you met head-on on the road, and only later came to mean something plainly visible. The result is a word whose meaning reverses a sense that had already drifted far from its roadside origin. Because "obvious" itself now means plainly evident, "nonobvious" describes things that are hidden, subtle, or require effort to notice.

Synonyms: subtle, hidden, obscure, enigmatic, complex

Antonyms: obvious, apparent, clear, evident, manifest