inconspicuous

English

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Late Latin incōnspicuus. Equivalent to in- +‎ conspicuous.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌɪn.kənˈspɪk.ju.əs/

Adjective

inconspicuous (comparative more inconspicuous, superlative most inconspicuous)

1. Invisible. [from 1620s]

   Antonym: visible

2. Not prominent nor easily noticeable. [from 1828]

   Antonym: conspicuous

   • 2004, Shell Oil Company, Let's Collect Rocks and Shells, Kessinger Publishing Co., page 9:

     Approaching danger, whether from octopus, fish or man, arouses caution in a small mollusk and it becomes as inconspicuous as it can.

Derived terms

• inconspicuously
• inconspicuousness

Translations

not prominent or easily noticeable

• Arabic: غَيْرُ ظَاهِر (ḡayru ẓāhir)
• Bulgarian: незабележим (bg) (nezabeležim), незабелязващ се (nezabeljazvašt se), неотличим (neotličim), неотличаващ се (neotličavašt se)
• Czech: nenápadný
• Dutch: onopvallend (nl)
• Finnish: huomiota herättämätön, huomaamaton (fi)
• French: discret (fr) m
• German: unauffällig (de)
• Hungarian: alig észrevehető, nem feltűnő, feltűnésmentes (hu), diszkrét (hu), semleges (hu), jellegtelen (hu), jelentéktelen (hu), észrevétlen (hu), észrevehetetlen (hu)
• Macedonian: незабе́лежлив (nezabéležliv)
• Manx: neuvaghtal
• Norwegian: upåfallende
• Polish: niepozorny (pl) m, nierzucający się w oczy
• Portuguese: discreto (pt) m, inconspícuo (pt) m
• Russian: незаме́тный (ru) (nezamétnyj)
• Slovak: nenápadný
• Spanish: disimulado (es), desapercibido (es), discreto (es)
• Swedish: oansenlig (sv), diskret (sv), tillbakadragen (sv), undangömd (sv), fördold (sv), dold (sv), förstulen (sv), omärklig (sv)
• Ukrainian: непримітний (neprymitnyj), непомі́тний (nepomítnyj)

See also

• obscure
• unnoticeable

Further reading

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “inconspicuous”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
• “inconspicuous”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.