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invisible

invisible

319 2.7
Not easy for other people to notice
  • adjective
  • /ɪnˈvɪzəbl/
: imperceptible
  • But throughout our life, we're guided by invisible, unseen forces.
  • remain invisible
  • become invisible
  • make invisible

And you all know about the invisible hand, OK, Yes.

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Examples

  • The artist cleverly painted the wall with an invisible pattern that only showed under certain lighting.

  • The cat was so quiet that it felt invisible in the room.

  • What would you do if you were invisible for one day?

  • The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways.

  • I'm still invisible to most of these people.

  • Now to reveal some of those invisible forces which drive infection.

  • Even with all of this history, it's like there's an invisible wall around the college.

    Academic text (2017)
  • The downside of this strategy is that our individual efforts remain invisible to the outside world.

    Academic text (2011)
  • These are the tiny little, almost invisible biting gnats.

  • Many pollutants are invisible but can still harm the environment.

Synonyms

hidden
vsinvisible
801 1.1

A thing that is not easily seen or found

can be involuntary, meaning simply not easily noticed
concealed
vsinvisible
95 3.7

Hidden so people cannot see it

is more neutral, referring to lack of notice rather than deliberate hiding
unnoticed
vsinvisible
63 2.5

Other people do not see or pay attention to it

can be intentionally hidden or simply not very noticeable
unseen
vsinvisible
52 3.2

Hidden so people do not notice it

may be completely hidden or simply not prominent enough to catch attention
undetected
vsinvisible
43 4.6

Not found or noticed by others

can still be unnoticed briefly, not always permanently undiscovered
out of sight
vsinvisible
27 3.4

Kept where you cannot see it

is not necessarily hidden intentionally, may just be unobtrusive
undetectable
vsinvisible
23 6.5

Very hard or impossible to notice

is weaker meaning not easily detected rather than completely hidden from detection
inconspicuous
vsinvisible
15 6.9

Not easy to see or notice

may be completely unseen or merely not prominent depending on context
imperceptible
vsinvisible
9 7.8

Very small or slight and hard to notice

can be absent from sight entirely rather than only barely noticeable
indiscernible
vsinvisible
4 8.8

Hard to see, hear, or notice

is less extreme, allowing some chance of detection or notice
obscure
vsinvisible
4 6.6

Not easily seen or noticed

is similar but may stress total absence from view more strongly
unnoticeable
vsinvisible
2 4.6

Hard to see or notice

can also cover complete invisibility, not only low noticeability
unobservable
vsinvisible
1 8.0

Not able to be seen or noticed when you look

is looser, including things that are simply not prominent or obvious
unseeable
vsinvisible
1 8.4

The eye cannot notice it

is broader, also covering things that are just not readily noticeable
unobvious
vsinvisible
1 7.8

Hard to notice or understand at first

leans more toward visual lack of prominence than hidden meaning
insensible
vsinvisible
1 7.4

So small that people do not notice it

covers larger-scale lack of noticeability, not only tiny changes
nonobvious
vsinvisible
1 7.4

Not easy to see or understand without careful thinking

is about being visually unnoticed rather than giving intellectual clarity
viewless
vsinvisible
1 7.6

Not able to be seen

is milder, covering things that are simply not prominent or obvious
unapparent
vsinvisible
1 7.9

Not easily seen, noticed, or understood

focuses on visual noticeability rather than on clarity of meaning
imperceivable
vsinvisible
1 8.4

Too small to be seen, heard, or noticed

allows partial notice, not necessarily total absence from view
nonvisible
vsinvisible
1 5.3

Not able to be seen with the eyes

is less absolute, meaning not easily noticed rather than totally unseen
inapparent
vsinvisible
1 8.1

Hard to see or notice

can be completely unseen or just not prominent depending on situation
nonmanifest
vsinvisible
8.8

Not easy to see or notice

stresses appearance rather than intentional concealment or total invisibility

Antonyms

389 1.0

Easy to see or notice

Compounds

choir invisible
  • Archaic
1 9.9

People who have died thought of as a group

invisible balance
  • Specialized
1 7.8

The difference between money a country earns and pays for services and income from abroad

A posture with arms held wide that makes a person look like they have large back muscles, without visible muscles

How Noticeable

prominent
311 3.9
noticeable
65 3.2
invisible
319 2.7
inconspicuous
15 6.9
unnoticeable
2 4.6

Surface Forms

invisible positive

Morphology

invisible = visible (transparent) = in + vis + ible

This sense is also a standard negative formation from 'visible', giving the easily inferred meaning 'not visible' or 'not noticeable'.

Etymology

The word invisible comes from the parts in- meaning 'not' and visible meaning 'able to be seen', so it can also mean 'not easy to notice', for example quiet help that stays out of view even though it matters.