patent

1 of 3

adjective

pat·ent

senses 1–3 are

ˈpa-tᵊnt

chiefly British ˈpā-;

sense 4 ˈpā-;

sense 5 ˈpā-,

ˈpa-;

senses 6–7 ˈpa-,

ˈpā-,

British usually

ˈpā-

: open to public inspection

—used chiefly in the phrase letters patent

b(1)

: secured by letters patent or by a patent to the exclusive control and possession of a particular individual or party

patent foodstuffs have acquired an ever-increasing importance

Friedel Strauss

(2)

: protected by a patent : made under a patent

patent locks

a patent coffee maker

: protected by a trademark or a brand name so as to establish proprietary rights analogous to those conveyed by letters patent or a patent : proprietary

patent drugs

: of, relating to, or concerned with the granting of patents especially for inventions

a patent lawyer

patent law

: making exclusive or proprietary claims or pretensions

peddled his patent notions in season and out

: affording free passage : unobstructed

a patent opening

: patulous, spreading

a patent calyx

archaic : accessible, exposed

: readily visible or intelligible : obvious

his patent sincerity

a patent falsehood

patently adverb

patent

2 of 3

noun

pat·ent ˈpa-tᵊnt How to pronounce patent (audio)

British also

ˈpā-

: an official document conferring a right or privilege : letters patent

: a writing securing for a term of years the right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention

: the monopoly or right so granted

: a patented invention

: privilege, license

: an instrument making a conveyance of public lands

also : the land so conveyed

: patent leather

patent

3 of 3

verb

pat·ent ˈpa-tᵊnt How to pronounce patent (audio)

British also

ˈpā-

patented; patenting; patents

transitive verb

: to obtain or grant a patent right to

: to grant a privilege, right, or license to by patent

: to obtain or secure by patent

especially : to secure by letters patent exclusive right to make, use, or sell

patentability

ˌpa-tᵊn-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē How to pronounce patent (audio)

British also ˌpā-

noun

patentable

ˈpa-tᵊn-tə-bəl How to pronounce patent (audio)

British also ˈpā-

adjective

Example Sentences

Adjective The company settled a patent dispute last year. the licensing of patent rights They were sued for patent infringement. His explanation turned out to be a patent lie. She acted with patent disregard for the rules. Noun The product is protected by patent. Verb The product was patented by its inventor. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The caveat that Edison filed in 1890 was the latest in a long line of pre-patent applications.

Nat Segnit, Harper’s Magazine , 16 Mar. 2022 Tech companies file patent infringement lawsuits all the time — BlackBerry just sued Facebook for patent infringement last week.

Kurt Wagner, Recode, 17 Mar. 2018 The researchers gathered data on how many different provisions of patent law each examiner invoked, on the theory that a more effective examiner would invoke more patent law provisions, on average.

Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, 5 Mar. 2018 Aspiring entrepreneurs will receive help in gaining access to business mentors, prototyping services, legal and patent advice and business plan development.

Karen Farkas, cleveland.com, 15 Dec. 2017 While that didn’t result in any new federal law, many states ultimately passed laws limiting how patent demand letters can be used.

Joe Mullin, Ars Technica, 9 Oct. 2017

Noun

The World Trade Organization recently agreed to suspend patent protections for Covid-19 vaccines.

Kenneth E. Thorpe, STAT, 2 Aug. 2022 Eventually, even the most generous patent protections come to an end and companies must face the potential for generic competition.

Robert Pearl, Forbes, 29 June 2022 The agreement has dismayed the pharmaceutical industry for weakening patent protections.

Saeed Shah, WSJ, 17 Mar. 2022 In 2020, the Cambridge, Mass.-based vaccine-maker vowed never to enforce patent protections for its COVID-19 vaccine as long as there’s a global pandemic raging.

Alan Murray, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2022 What happened to the covid-19 vaccine patent waiver?

Annalisa Merelli, Quartz, 19 Apr. 2022 Such bold policy changes will include patent reform, elimination of pharmacy deserts, and training a medical professional workforce that is without bias in its provision of clinical care.

Utibe R. Essien, STAT, 22 Aug. 2022 On the flats front, these patent, pointed-toe Mary Janes have the makings of an all-day shoe with their namesake's Upper East Side attitude.

Halie Lesavage, Harper's BAZAAR, 22 Aug. 2022 When a cultivar is developed, the grower can apply to receive a patent and a trademark for the plant.

Chris Mckeown, The Enquirer, 20 Aug. 2022

Verb

And importantly, the researchers published the code online and purposefully did not patent the technology, which allows others to build on and use the work freely.

Edward Chen, STAT, 13 July 2022 Grivel couldn’t patent the new designs because mice had eaten the original drawings, but the family company, Grivel, continued to improve upon the design.

Andrew Freeman, Outside Online, 21 May 2012 And patent it all Apple did—right down to the slide-to-unlock feature and beveled edges.

Nat Watkins, Wired, 15 Mar. 2022 In other words, Prometheus hadn’t sought to patent a natural phenomenon like metabolization.

Paul R. Michel, STAT, 8 Feb. 2022 Cui applied for a grant, won it, and went on to patent his new fabric technology.

Corey Buhay, Outside Online, 30 Jan. 2022 Eric Wooldridge and Daniel Bailey had filed an application to patent the technology in 2012.

Patrick Danner, San Antonio Express-News, 16 Nov. 2021 Scientists and advocacy groups alike have fiercely opposed past iron-addition experiments, over concerns that for-profit companies would patent and commercialize the technology and that the extra iron would trigger blooms of toxic algae.

Ed Yong, The Atlantic, 3 Nov. 2021 Where research and collaboration on earlier viral outbreaks such as SARS and H5N1 were stymied by races to patent their genetic sequences, this did not occur with SARS-CoV-2.

Jorge L. Contreras, CNN, 21 Oct. 2021 See More

Kids Definition

patent 1 of 3

adjective

pat·ent

for 1 ˈpa-tᵊnt or ˈpā-,

for 2 ˈpa-

: obvious, evident

a patent lie

: relating to or concerned with patents

patent law

patent

2 of 3

noun

pat·ent ˈpa-tᵊnt How to pronounce patent (audio)

: a document that gives the inventor of something the right to be the only one to make or sell the invention for a certain number of years

patent

3 of 3

verb

pat·ent ˈpa-tᵊnt How to pronounce patent (audio)

patented; patenting

: to obtain the legal right to be the only one to make or sell an invention

Legal Definition

patent 1 of 3

adjective

pat·ent ˈpat-ᵊnt, 3 also ˈpāt- How to pronounce patent (audio)

: open to public inspection see also letters patent at letter sense 2

: secured or protected by a patent

a nonexclusive patent license to produce and sell the product

sought to enforce her patent rights against infringement

: of, relating to, or concerned with the granting of patents especially for inventions

a patent lawyer

involved in patent litigation

: readily seen, discovered, or understood

a patent defect

if no bad faith or abuse is patent

compare latent

patent

2 of 3

noun

pat·ent ˈpat-ᵊnt How to pronounce patent (audio)

: an official document conferring a right or privilege : letters patent at letter 2

: the right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention or products made by an invented process that is granted to an inventor and his or her heirs or assigns for a term of years see also intellectual property at property compare copyright, trademark

Note: A patent may be granted for a process, act, or method that is new, useful, and not obvious, for a new use of a known process, machine, or composition of matter or material, as well as for an asexually reproduced distinct and new variety of plant (excluding one propagated from a tuber), and for any new, original, and ornamental design for an article of manufacture. Design patents are issued for a term of 14 years. Patents issuing on applications made after June 8, 1995, for basic or plant patents (excluding design patents) are for a term of 20 years from the date of application. An inventor can file a provisional patent application, which requires less documentation and lower fees than a regular application, before reducing the invention to practice. This allows the inventor to claim “patent pending” status for the invention and to establish an earlier filing date and priority of the invention. A regular patent application must be made within a year of the provisional application or it will expire. Patents are considered personal property and may be sold, assigned, or otherwise transferred. Under common law, if a patented invention or discovery is made while the inventor is working for a company, and is made on company time with company facilities and materials, the employer receives an irrevocable, nonassignable, nonexclusive, royalty-free license to use it. Often an employee is required contractually to assign his or her patent to the employer.

: the writing securing such a right

received his patent in the mail

: a patented invention

all substantial rights to a patent

Internal Revenue Code

: an instrument making a conveyance of public lands

to issue a patent to each of said Indians for the village or town lot occupied by him

U.S. Code

transitive verb

pat·ent

: to obtain or grant a right to (something) by a patent

the land was patented to the railroad

specifically : to protect the rights to (an invention) by a patent

printed matter cannot be patented

patent 1 of 2

noun

as in copyright

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

copyright
trademark
brand
trade name
brand name
label
stamp
logo
emblem
service mark
hallmark
collective mark
imprint
mark

as in grant

Synonyms & Similar Words

grant
exemption
charter
immunity
prerogative
waiver
birthright
claim
perquisite
entitlement
right
privilege
concession
apanage
appanage
boon
courtesy
honor

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

duty
obligation
responsibility
burden

patent

2 of 2

adjective

as in obvious

not subject to misinterpretation or more than one interpretation unfortunately, the patent stupidity of the proposal did not deter the city council from putting it up for a vote

Synonyms & Similar Words

obvious
apparent
evident
unmistakable
clear
straightforward
distinct
broad
plain
transparent
unequivocal
simple
crystal clear
manifest
luminous
ringing
unambiguous
decided
visible
open-and-shut
bright-line
pellucid
bald
lucid
clear-cut
perspicuous
nonambiguous
barefaced
explicit
tangible
palpable
bald-faced
unambivalent
noticeable
intelligible
luculent
understandable
cognizable
cognoscible
comprehensible
uncomplicated
knowable
recognizable
overt
sensible
appreciable
perceptible
self-evident
tidy
undisguised
observable
graspable
self-explanatory
discernible
digestible
black-and-white
comprehendible
trenchant
readable
decipherable
fathomable
clean
well-defined
legible
clean-cut
fair
discernable

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

obscure
ambiguous
mysterious
dark
unclear
nonobvious
cryptic
indistinct
enigmatic
equivocal
clouded
incomprehensible
unintelligible
indecipherable
unknowable
gray
unfathomable
grey
enigmatical
indefinite
imperceptible
vague
unclarified
subtle
obfuscated
indeterminate
sketchy
unapparent
slippery
impalpable
nebulous
inappreciable
imprecise
noncommittal
insensible
cloudy
hazy
illegible
murky
misty
gauzy
unreadable
indiscernible
undecipherable

as in blatant

very noticeable especially for being incorrect or bad a patent error that should have been caught before the book was published

Synonyms & Similar Words

blatant
obvious
glaring
striking
gross
rank
outstanding
flagrant
conspicuous
egregious
distinct
pronounced
salient
notable
clear
outright
plain
prominent
sheer
showy
terrible
marked
remarkable
noticeable
evident
dramatic
arrant
monstrous
arresting
absolute
eye-catching
outrageous
emphatic
splashy
utter
visible
preposterous
shocking
detectable
perceptible
heinous
out-and-out
discernible
downright
shameful
deplorable
observable
awful
abominable
stark
lousy
atrocious
discernable
execrable
wretched

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

trivial
imperceptible
inconspicuous
unobtrusive
small
trifling
insignificant
invisible
inconsequential
concealed
hidden
slight
inconsiderable
unnoticeable

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of patent are apparent, clear, distinct, evident, manifest, obvious, and plain. While all these words mean "readily perceived or apprehended," patent applies to a cause, effect, or significant feature that is clear and unmistakable once attention has been directed to it.

patent defects

Apparent is very close to evident except that it may imply more conscious exercise of inference.

for no apparent reason

In some situations, the words clear and patent are roughly equivalent. However, clear implies an absence of anything that confuses the mind or obscures the pattern.

a clear explanation

The words distinct and patent are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, distinct implies such sharpness of outline or definition that no unusual effort to see or hear or comprehend is required.

a distinct refusal

The synonyms evident and patent are sometimes interchangeable, but evident implies presence of visible signs that lead one to a definite conclusion.

an evident fondness for sweets

The words manifest and patent can be used in similar contexts, but manifest implies an external display so evident that little or no inference is required.

manifest hostility

The meanings of obvious and patent largely overlap; however, obvious implies such ease in discovering that it often suggests conspicuousness or little need for perspicacity in the observer.

the obvious solution

While the synonyms plain and patent are close in meaning, plain suggests lack of intricacy, complexity, or elaboration.

her feelings about him are plain

单词	patent
释义	patent 1 of 3 adjective pat·ent senses 1–3 are ˈpa-tᵊnt chiefly British ˈpā-; sense 4 ˈpā-; sense 5 ˈpā-, ˈpa-; senses 6–7 ˈpa-, ˈpā-, British usually ˈpā- 1 a : open to public inspection —used chiefly in the phrase letters patent b(1) : secured by letters patent or by a patent to the exclusive control and possession of a particular individual or party patent foodstuffs have acquired an ever-increasing importance Friedel Strauss (2) : protected by a patent : made under a patent patent locks a patent coffee maker c : protected by a trademark or a brand name so as to establish proprietary rights analogous to those conveyed by letters patent or a patent : proprietary patent drugs 2 : of, relating to, or concerned with the granting of patents especially for inventions a patent lawyer patent law 3 : making exclusive or proprietary claims or pretensions peddled his patent notions in season and out 4 : affording free passage : unobstructed a patent opening 5 : patulous, spreading a patent calyx 6 archaic : accessible, exposed 7 : readily visible or intelligible : obvious his patent sincerity a patent falsehood patently adverb patent 2 of 3 noun pat·ent ˈpa-tᵊnt British also ˈpā- 1 : an official document conferring a right or privilege : letters patent 2 a : a writing securing for a term of years the right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention b : the monopoly or right so granted c : a patented invention 3 : privilege, license 4 : an instrument making a conveyance of public lands also : the land so conveyed 5 : patent leather patent 3 of 3 verb pat·ent ˈpa-tᵊnt British also ˈpā- patented; patenting; patents transitive verb 1 : to obtain or grant a patent right to 2 : to grant a privilege, right, or license to by patent 3 : to obtain or secure by patent especially : to secure by letters patent exclusive right to make, use, or sell patentability ˌpa-tᵊn-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē British also ˌpā- noun patentable ˈpa-tᵊn-tə-bəl British also ˈpā- adjective Synonyms Adjective apparent bald bald-faced barefaced bright-line broad clear clear-cut crystal clear decided distinct evident lucid luculent luminous manifest nonambiguous obvious open-and-shut palpable pellucid perspicuous plain ringing straightforward transparent unambiguous unambivalent unequivocal unmistakable See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Adjective The company settled a patent dispute last year. the licensing of patent rights They were sued for patent infringement. His explanation turned out to be a patent lie. She acted with patent disregard for the rules. Noun The product is protected by patent. Verb The product was patented by its inventor. See More Recent Examples on the Web Adjective The caveat that Edison filed in 1890 was the latest in a long line of pre-patent applications. Nat Segnit, Harper’s Magazine , 16 Mar. 2022 Tech companies file patent infringement lawsuits all the time — BlackBerry just sued Facebook for patent infringement last week. Kurt Wagner, Recode, 17 Mar. 2018 The researchers gathered data on how many different provisions of patent law each examiner invoked, on the theory that a more effective examiner would invoke more patent law provisions, on average. Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, 5 Mar. 2018 Aspiring entrepreneurs will receive help in gaining access to business mentors, prototyping services, legal and patent advice and business plan development. Karen Farkas, cleveland.com, 15 Dec. 2017 While that didn’t result in any new federal law, many states ultimately passed laws limiting how patent demand letters can be used. Joe Mullin, Ars Technica, 9 Oct. 2017 Noun The World Trade Organization recently agreed to suspend patent protections for Covid-19 vaccines. Kenneth E. Thorpe, STAT, 2 Aug. 2022 Eventually, even the most generous patent protections come to an end and companies must face the potential for generic competition. Robert Pearl, Forbes, 29 June 2022 The agreement has dismayed the pharmaceutical industry for weakening patent protections. Saeed Shah, WSJ, 17 Mar. 2022 In 2020, the Cambridge, Mass.-based vaccine-maker vowed never to enforce patent protections for its COVID-19 vaccine as long as there’s a global pandemic raging. Alan Murray, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2022 What happened to the covid-19 vaccine patent waiver? Annalisa Merelli, Quartz, 19 Apr. 2022 Such bold policy changes will include patent reform, elimination of pharmacy deserts, and training a medical professional workforce that is without bias in its provision of clinical care. Utibe R. Essien, STAT, 22 Aug. 2022 On the flats front, these patent, pointed-toe Mary Janes have the makings of an all-day shoe with their namesake's Upper East Side attitude. Halie Lesavage, Harper's BAZAAR, 22 Aug. 2022 When a cultivar is developed, the grower can apply to receive a patent and a trademark for the plant. Chris Mckeown, The Enquirer, 20 Aug. 2022 Verb And importantly, the researchers published the code online and purposefully did not patent the technology, which allows others to build on and use the work freely. Edward Chen, STAT, 13 July 2022 Grivel couldn’t patent the new designs because mice had eaten the original drawings, but the family company, Grivel, continued to improve upon the design. Andrew Freeman, Outside Online, 21 May 2012 And patent it all Apple did—right down to the slide-to-unlock feature and beveled edges. Nat Watkins, Wired, 15 Mar. 2022 In other words, Prometheus hadn’t sought to patent a natural phenomenon like metabolization. Paul R. Michel, STAT, 8 Feb. 2022 Cui applied for a grant, won it, and went on to patent his new fabric technology. Corey Buhay, Outside Online, 30 Jan. 2022 Eric Wooldridge and Daniel Bailey had filed an application to patent the technology in 2012. Patrick Danner, San Antonio Express-News, 16 Nov. 2021 Scientists and advocacy groups alike have fiercely opposed past iron-addition experiments, over concerns that for-profit companies would patent and commercialize the technology and that the extra iron would trigger blooms of toxic algae. Ed Yong, The Atlantic, 3 Nov. 2021 Where research and collaboration on earlier viral outbreaks such as SARS and H5N1 were stymied by races to patent their genetic sequences, this did not occur with SARS-CoV-2. Jorge L. Contreras, CNN, 21 Oct. 2021 See More Word History Etymology Adjective, Noun, and Verb Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin patent-, patens, from present participle of patēre to be open — more at fathom First Known Use Adjective 14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Noun 14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Verb 1675, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Phrases Containing patent patent leather patent flour patent right take out a patent on patent office patent medicine letters patent patent leather patent flour patent right take out a patent on patent office patent medicine letters patent See More Kids Definition patent 1 of 3 adjective pat·ent for 1 ˈpa-tᵊnt or ˈpā-, for 2 ˈpa- 1 : obvious, evident a patent lie 2 : relating to or concerned with patents patent law patent 2 of 3 noun pat·ent ˈpa-tᵊnt : a document that gives the inventor of something the right to be the only one to make or sell the invention for a certain number of years patent 3 of 3 verb pat·ent ˈpa-tᵊnt patented; patenting : to obtain the legal right to be the only one to make or sell an invention Medical Definition patent adjective pa·tent ˈpat-ᵊnt, British usually ˈpāt- 1 : protected by a trademark or a trade name so as to establish proprietary rights analogous to those conveyed by a patent : proprietary patent drugs 2 ˈpāt- : affording free passage : being open and unobstructed the nose patent with no pathological discharge Journal of the American Medical Association Legal Definition patent 1 of 3 adjective pat·ent ˈpat-ᵊnt, 3 also ˈpāt- 1 a : open to public inspection see also letters patent at letter sense 2 b : secured or protected by a patent a nonexclusive patent license to produce and sell the product sought to enforce her patent rights against infringement 2 : of, relating to, or concerned with the granting of patents especially for inventions a patent lawyer involved in patent litigation 3 : readily seen, discovered, or understood a patent defect if no bad faith or abuse is patent compare latent patent 2 of 3 noun pat·ent ˈpat-ᵊnt 1 : an official document conferring a right or privilege : letters patent at letter 2 2 a : the right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention or products made by an invented process that is granted to an inventor and his or her heirs or assigns for a term of years see also intellectual property at property compare copyright, trademark Note: A patent may be granted for a process, act, or method that is new, useful, and not obvious, for a new use of a known process, machine, or composition of matter or material, as well as for an asexually reproduced distinct and new variety of plant (excluding one propagated from a tuber), and for any new, original, and ornamental design for an article of manufacture. Design patents are issued for a term of 14 years. Patents issuing on applications made after June 8, 1995, for basic or plant patents (excluding design patents) are for a term of 20 years from the date of application. An inventor can file a provisional patent application, which requires less documentation and lower fees than a regular application, before reducing the invention to practice. This allows the inventor to claim “patent pending” status for the invention and to establish an earlier filing date and priority of the invention. A regular patent application must be made within a year of the provisional application or it will expire. Patents are considered personal property and may be sold, assigned, or otherwise transferred. Under common law, if a patented invention or discovery is made while the inventor is working for a company, and is made on company time with company facilities and materials, the employer receives an irrevocable, nonassignable, nonexclusive, royalty-free license to use it. Often an employee is required contractually to assign his or her patent to the employer. b : the writing securing such a right received his patent in the mail c : a patented invention all substantial rights to a patent Internal Revenue Code 3 : an instrument making a conveyance of public lands to issue a patent to each of said Indians for the village or town lot occupied by him U.S. Code see also fee patent at fee sense 1 patent 3 of 3 transitive verb pat·ent : to obtain or grant a right to (something) by a patent the land was patented to the railroad specifically : to protect the rights to (an invention) by a patent printed matter cannot be patented History and Etymology for patent Adjective Anglo-French, from Latin patent- patens, from present participle of patēre to be open patent 1 of 2 noun 1 as in copyright Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance copyright trademark brand trade name brand name label stamp logo emblem service mark hallmark collective mark imprint mark 2 as in grant Synonyms & Similar Words grant exemption charter immunity prerogative waiver birthright claim perquisite entitlement right privilege concession apanage appanage boon courtesy honor Antonyms & Near Antonyms duty obligation responsibility burden patent 2 of 2 adjective 1 as in obvious not subject to misinterpretation or more than one interpretation unfortunately, the patent stupidity of the proposal did not deter the city council from putting it up for a vote Synonyms & Similar Words obvious apparent evident unmistakable clear straightforward distinct broad plain transparent unequivocal simple crystal clear manifest luminous ringing unambiguous decided visible open-and-shut bright-line pellucid bald lucid clear-cut perspicuous nonambiguous barefaced explicit tangible palpable bald-faced unambivalent noticeable intelligible luculent understandable cognizable cognoscible comprehensible uncomplicated knowable recognizable overt sensible appreciable perceptible self-evident tidy undisguised observable graspable self-explanatory discernible digestible black-and-white comprehendible trenchant readable decipherable fathomable clean well-defined legible clean-cut fair discernable Antonyms & Near Antonyms obscure ambiguous mysterious dark unclear nonobvious cryptic indistinct enigmatic equivocal clouded incomprehensible unintelligible indecipherable unknowable gray unfathomable grey enigmatical indefinite imperceptible vague unclarified subtle obfuscated indeterminate sketchy unapparent slippery impalpable nebulous inappreciable imprecise noncommittal insensible cloudy hazy illegible murky misty gauzy unreadable indiscernible undecipherable See More 2 as in blatant very noticeable especially for being incorrect or bad a patent error that should have been caught before the book was published Synonyms & Similar Words blatant obvious glaring striking gross rank outstanding flagrant conspicuous egregious distinct pronounced salient notable clear outright plain prominent sheer showy terrible marked remarkable noticeable evident dramatic arrant monstrous arresting absolute eye-catching outrageous emphatic splashy utter visible preposterous shocking detectable perceptible heinous out-and-out discernible downright shameful deplorable observable awful abominable stark lousy atrocious discernable execrable wretched Antonyms & Near Antonyms trivial imperceptible inconspicuous unobtrusive small trifling insignificant invisible inconsequential concealed hidden slight inconsiderable unnoticeable See More Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of patent are apparent, clear, distinct, evident, manifest, obvious, and plain. While all these words mean "readily perceived or apprehended," patent applies to a cause, effect, or significant feature that is clear and unmistakable once attention has been directed to it. patent defects Apparent is very close to evident except that it may imply more conscious exercise of inference. for no apparent reason In some situations, the words clear and patent are roughly equivalent. However, clear implies an absence of anything that confuses the mind or obscures the pattern. a clear explanation The words distinct and patent are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, distinct implies such sharpness of outline or definition that no unusual effort to see or hear or comprehend is required. a distinct refusal The synonyms evident and patent are sometimes interchangeable, but evident implies presence of visible signs that lead one to a definite conclusion. an evident fondness for sweets The words manifest and patent can be used in similar contexts, but manifest implies an external display so evident that little or no inference is required. manifest hostility The meanings of obvious and patent largely overlap; however, obvious implies such ease in discovering that it often suggests conspicuousness or little need for perspicacity in the observer. the obvious solution While the synonyms plain and patent are close in meaning, plain suggests lack of intricacy, complexity, or elaboration. her feelings about him are plain
随便看	lumining luminism luminisms luminist luminists lumino- luminophor luminoscope luminosities luminosity luminosity curve luminous luminous efficiency luminous energy censorial censorian censoring censorious censoriously censoriousness censoriousnesses censors censorship censorships censos

patent

adjective

noun

verb

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing patent

Kids Definition

adjective

noun

verb

Medical Definition

adjective

Legal Definition

adjective

noun

transitive verb

noun

adjective

Synonym Chooser