instantly recognizable
3
3.4
- adjective
:
inconfundible
- The Eiffel Tower is an instantly recognizable landmark that attracts millions of tourists each year.
Something beyond recognition and yet somehow instantly recognizable and recognizing.
- Something beyond recognition and yet somehow instantly recognizable and recognizing.
Examples
-
The characteristic aesthetic of Van Dyck's mature portraits, instantly recognizable on the walls of museums all over the world, had its origins in the Sebastian paintings.
Academic text (2015) -
The horror film genre has spawned some instantly recognizable villains.
Blog text (16) -
Even an instantly recognizable work by a father of modern art can be had for that price.
Blog text (33) -
And most importantly, it should be an instantly recognizable symbol of your company.
Blog text (34) -
And many of them are instantly recognizable from our own lives and parishes.
Blog text (25) -
All the women in my family dance to that instantly recognizable Cuban rhythm.
Blog text (2) -
In more recent years, she has developed an instantly recognizable style of simplified human forms with bold outlines.
Blog text (28) -
The Medusa head is an instantly recognizable symbol of the Versace brand, as is that Greca border motif.
-
The generals looked, nodded again, and rode off, Hill all business in the saddle, Ewell instantly recognizable because of his outthrust wooden leg.
Fiction book (1992) -
Here are genuine islands and coastlines, instantly recognizable when checked against a modern atlas, and accurately drawn by a leading London cartographer, Herman Moll.
Academic text (2002)
Synonyms
65
2.3
Easy to tell who or what something is
43
3.9
Very clear and easy to recognize
32
3.7
Able to be clearly recognized as a particular person or thing
Antonyms
How Recognizable
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'immediately and easily able to be identified' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'instantly' (at once) with 'recognizable' (able to be identified). This adverb + adjective composition follows a standard compositional pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand the phrase.
Etymology
The phrase instantly recognizable creates a simple picture: you see a face, logo, or place and, instantly, you know what it is because its features stand out and are recognizable. That's why it means 'immediately and easily able to be identified'.