noticeable

noticeable — adjective

1. If a change, feature, or quality is noticeable, it is clear, big, or different e

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

If a change, feature, or quality is noticeable, it is clear, big, or different enough that people can see, hear, or become aware of it without having to look very hard.

Example

The renovation created a noticeable change in how the living room felt.

collocation: noticeable change / difference / improvement

Trang's health showed a noticeable improvement after just one week of treatment.

collocation: noticeable improvement

Common collocations
  • noticeable change
  • noticeable difference
  • noticeable improvement
  • noticeable effect
  • noticeable increase
  • noticeable decrease
  • barely noticeable
  • highly noticeable
  • particularly noticeable
Synonyms
  • obvious

    Stronger than 'noticeable'; suggests something is immediately clear without any effort.

  • evident

    More formal; suggests something is clearly seen because of available facts or signs.

  • apparent

    Emphasizes that something seems true based on what is visible, though it may not be fully certain.

  • distinct

    Focuses on the clarity and separateness of something; a distinct feature stands out clearly from its surroundings.

Antonyms
  • unnoticeable

    Direct opposite; cannot be easily seen or recognized.

  • subtle

    Describes something that exists but is not immediately obvious; requires careful attention to notice.

Grammar Patterns

[be] + noticeable

noticeable + [noun]

noticeable + to/from + [noun]

[degree adv] + noticeable

Usage Note

Often strengthened by adverbs such as 'very,' 'highly,' 'quite,' or 'particularly' to show degree. The negative form ('not noticeable' or 'barely noticeable') is common for describing changes that are too small to be easily seen.

Common Mistakes

The change was very notice.
The change was very noticeable.
'noticeable' is the adjective form; 'notice' is a verb or noun, not an adjective.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe something that can be seen or understood, but they differ in how the information reaches the observer. 'Noticeable' is the most neutral: it simply means something is big or different enough to be detected. 'Obvious' is stronger, implying that the thing is so clear that no one could miss it. 'Evident' carries a more logical tone — something is evident because the evidence points to it. 'Apparent' can mean either 'clearly seen' (like evident) or 'seeming to be true but not necessarily so' (e.g., 'her apparent happiness'). 'Conspicuous' focuses on standing out from what is normal or expected, often with an element of surprise or social judgment. For everyday use, choose 'noticeable' for neutral observations, 'obvious' when you want to stress the clarity, 'evident' in formal or reasoned contexts, 'apparent' when appearances may be misleading, and 'conspicuous' when something draws attention by being unusual.

obvious ↗evident ↗apparent ↗conspicuous

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • not much difference is noticeable
  • become noticeable
  • make something noticeable

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'noticeable' combines the noun 'notice,' which comes from the Latin 'notitia' (meaning knowledge or fame, from 'notus' meaning 'known'), with the suffix '-able,' meaning 'capable of' or 'worthy of.' The word entered English through French ('notice' from Old French 'notice'), and the adjective form 'noticeable' appeared in the early 1800s.