Obviously

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /ˈɒ(b).vi.əs.li/

Definitions

1. In a way that is easy to see, understand, or recognize; clearly and without doubt
2. In a manner that is apparent, unmistakable, or self-evident
3. readily discernible and beyond question

Etymology: "Obviously" is a plain formation: the adjective "obvious" with the suffix "-ly" attached, the same ending that turns "quick" into "quickly." The adjective comes from Latin "obvius," literally "in the way," built from "ob" ("in the way of, against") and "via" ("road"), so an obvious thing is one that stands right in front of you on the road. That sense of meeting someone face to face on a path is what the English adjective inherited. The suffix has a longer history than the adjective. It descends from a Germanic word meaning "body" or "form" (the same root as "like" in its sense of "resembling"), which over the centuries shifted into a marker of manner. In Old English it appeared as "-līċe," and Middle English shortened it to "-ly," so "obviously" is essentially "in an obvious manner."

Synonyms: clearly, evidently, manifestly

Antonyms: obscurely, unclearly