Meaning & use
visibly
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Meanings
adverb
In a way that can be seen or noticed clearly, especially an emotion or change.
Grammar: Often comes before an adjective or past participle: visibly upset, visibly shaken.
Patterns
- visibly + adjective
- visibly + past participle
- visibly + verb
She was visibly nervous before the interview.
The crowd was visibly moved by the speech.
He visibly relaxed when he heard the good news.
adverb
In a way that is noticeable or obvious to everyone watching.
Grammar: Can also modify a verb of action: visibly flinched, visibly improved.
Patterns
- visibly + verb
- visibly + adjective
The team has visibly improved since last season.
She visibly flinched when the door slammed.
Common combinations
- visibly upset
- He was visibly upset when he heard the news.
- visibly shaken
- The witnesses were visibly shaken after the accident.
- visibly relieved
- She looked visibly relieved when the test was over.
- visibly angry
- The coach was visibly angry at the referee's decision.
- visibly different
- The new version is visibly different from the old one.
Synonyms and how they differ
- noticeably
- Very close in meaning, but can be used for things noticed by other senses too, not just sight.
- clearly
- More general and often means 'without doubt'; visibly focuses on what you can actually see.
- obviously
- Suggests something is easy to understand or see; visibly is more about physical appearance.
Opposites
Word family
- visible adjective
- Able to be seen or noticed.
- visibility noun
- The state of being able to be seen, or how far you can see.
- invisible adjective
- Not able to be seen.
Commonly confused: visibly or visibly?
visibly vs visibly
Sometimes confused with 'visually', which means 'relating to sight or seeing' (visually impaired), not 'in a way that can be seen'.
Practice
The audience was ___ moved by the singer's final song.
Choose one answer.
The adverb 'visibly' modifies the past participle 'moved' to show the emotion could be seen. 'Visible' is an adjective and cannot modify 'moved' here. 'Visibility' is a noun, and 'visually' means 'relating to sight', which does not fit the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “visibly”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.