Apparent, a.
Etymology: [F. apparent, L. apparens, -entis, p. pr. of apparere. See Appear.]
1. Capable of being seen, or easily seen; open to view; visible to the eye; within sight or view. The moon . . . apparent queen. Milton.
2. Clear or manifest to the understanding; plain; evident; obvious; known; palpable; indubitable. It is apparent foul play. Shak.
3. Appearing to the eye or mind (distinguished from, but not necessarily opposed to, true or real); seeming; as the apparent motion or diameter of the sun. To live on terms of civility, and even of apparent friendship. Macaulay. What Berkeley calls visible magnitude was by astronomers called apparent magnitude. Reid. Apparent horizon, the circle which in a level plain bounds our view, and is formed by the apparent meeting of the earth and heavens, as distinguished from the rational horizon. -- Apparent time. See Time. -- Heir apparent (Law), one whose to an estate is indefeasible if he survives the ancestor; -- in distinction from presumptive heir. See Presumptive.
Syn. -- Visible; distinct; plain; obvious; clear; certain; evident; manifest; indubitable; notorious.
1 other Webster entry under this spelling
Apparent, n.
An heir apparent. [Obs.] I'll draw it [the sword] as apparent to the crown. Shak.
Shades of meaning
The apparent is that which appears; the word has two contrasted senses, either of that which is manifest, visible, certain, or of that which merely seems to be and may be very different from what is; as, the apparent motion of the sun around the earth. Apparent kindness casts a doubt on the reality of the kindness; apparent neglect implies that more care and pains may have been bestowed than we are aware of. Presumable implies that a thing may be reasonably supposed beforehand without any full knowledge of the facts. Probable implies that we know facts enough to make us moderately confident of it. Seeming expresses great doubt of the reality; seeming innocence comes very near in meaning to probable guilt. Apparent indicates less assurance than probable, and more than seeming. A man's probable intent we believe will prove to be his real intent; his seeming intent we believe to be a sham; his apparent intent may be the true one, tho we have not yet evidence on which to pronounce with certainty or even with confidence. Likely is a word with a wide range of usage, but always implying the belief that the thing is, or will be, true; it is often used with the infinitive, as the other words of this list can not be; as, it is likely to happen. Compare evident.
Prepositions
(When apparent is used in the sense of evident): His guilt is apparent in every act to all observers.