clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
"the effects of the drought are apparent to anyone who sees the parched fields"
"evident hostility"
"manifest disapproval"
"patent advantages"
"made his meaning plain"
"it is plain that he is no reactionary"
"in plain view"
"a palpable lie"
appearing as such but not necessarily so
"for all his apparent wealth he had no money to pay the rent"
"the committee investigated some apparent discrepancies"
"the ostensible truth of their theories"
"his seeming honesty"
Capable of being seen, or easily seen; open to view; visible to the eye, eyely; within sight or view.
"The apparent movement of the clouds across the blue sky was beautiful to watch."
In plain English: Apparent means something looks true or real at first glance, even if it might not actually be that way.
"The apparent calm on the surface hid dangerous storms below."
Usage: Use apparent when something is clearly visible or obvious at first glance, even if it might not be true in reality. This word often pairs with "not" (apparent vs real) to highlight a difference between what seems to happen and the actual situation.
The word apparent comes to us via the Old French aparent and Middle English apparaunt, where it originally meant "present" or "visible." It is derived from the Latin verb appareo, which describes something that appears before one's eyes.