Meaning & use
inconspicuous
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Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Not easy to see or notice, so that it draws no attention.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a verb such as remain or look: an inconspicuous door; she tried to look inconspicuous.
Patterns
- remain inconspicuous
- make yourself inconspicuous
The camera was hidden in an inconspicuous corner of the shop.
He wore plain gray clothes to stay inconspicuous.
The small blue door was so inconspicuous that visitors walked past it.
Word forms
| comparative | more inconspicuous |
|---|---|
| superlative | most inconspicuous |
Common combinations
- remain inconspicuous
- The detective tried to remain inconspicuous in the crowd.
- make yourself inconspicuous
- She slouched to make herself inconspicuous in the back row.
- an inconspicuous place
- They parked in an inconspicuous place.
- relatively inconspicuous
- The scar was relatively inconspicuous.
- inconspicuous clothing
- The spy chose inconspicuous clothing.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unobtrusive
- Unobtrusive focuses on not getting in the way or causing a disturbance, while inconspicuous is about not being noticed.
- discreet
- Discreet describes a careful, tactful manner and often refers to behavior, not appearance.
- unnoticeable
- Unnoticeable is a plain word for something too small or slight to be seen.
- low-key
- Low-key is informal and describes a quiet, understated approach or event.
Opposites
Word family
- inconspicuously adverb
- in a way that does not attract attention
- inconspicuousness noun
- the quality of not being noticed
- conspicuous adjective
- easily seen or noticed
- conspicuously adverb
- in an obvious, easily seen way
Commonly confused: inconspicuous or inconsequential?
inconspicuous vs inconsequential
Inconsequential means unimportant, while inconspicuous means hard to notice; something can be inconspicuous but still very important.
Practice
The spy chose a seat in the corner to stay ___.
Choose one answer.
Inconspicuous means not attracting attention, which is what a spy wants. Conspicuous and prominent mean the opposite, and inconsequential means unimportant.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “inconspicuous”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.