Meaning & use
self-evident fact
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountableformal
A piece of information that is obviously true and needs no proof or explanation.
Grammar: Countable: 'a self-evident fact', 'self-evident facts'. The adjective 'self-evident' can also stand alone after 'be'.
Patterns
- a self-evident fact that ...
- treat something as a self-evident fact
- it is self-evident that ...
It is a self-evident fact that clean water saves lives, yet millions still lack it.
The report treats economic growth as a self-evident fact rather than something to be tested.
To her, it was a self-evident fact that hard work matters more than talent.
adjectivenot comparableformal
So obviously true that no argument or evidence is needed.
Grammar: Used after linking verbs like 'be' or 'seem', or before a noun: 'a self-evident truth'.
Patterns
- be self-evident
- seem self-evident to someone
The need for change seemed self-evident to everyone in the room.
His conclusion is not self-evident; it requires evidence.
Word forms
| plural | self-evident facts |
|---|
Common combinations
- a self-evident truth
- Freedom of speech is treated as a self-evident truth in many constitutions.
- seem self-evident
- The answer may seem self-evident, but it is surprisingly hard to prove.
- take something as self-evident
- Good writers do not take their main claim as self-evident.
- regard something as a self-evident fact
- Many people regard it as a self-evident fact that money buys happiness.
Synonyms and how they differ
- obvious
- The everyday word; it means easy to see or understand, but it does not carry the formal idea of needing no proof.
- axiomatic
- More technical and philosophical; it describes a principle accepted without proof in a system of reasoning.
- undeniable
- Means impossible to deny, which is stronger and can apply to unpleasant facts, not just obvious ones.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: self-evident fact or self-evident?
self-evident fact vs self-evident
The adjective and the noun phrase are easy to mix up: say 'it is self-evident' but 'it is a self-evident fact'.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
The countable noun 'fact' needs the article 'a' and stays singular after 'a'; without 'fact', the adjective 'self-evident' can stand alone, but not with 'a' before it.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “self-evident fact”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.