SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS

observant

adjective

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Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.

Quick to notice

Closest synonyms

attentive perceptive watchful alert keen-eyed discerning

Related words and expressions

These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.

Usage distinction

Observant emphasizes noticing details; discerning adds interpreting their significance well.

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CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT

See observant in use

An observant reader spotted the altered date in the second edition.

Dictionary practice example.

An observant classmate notices that the envelope bears a different recipient's name from the one used in the narrator's account.

From What We Notice and Feel.

Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.

Synonym reference scope and sources

The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.

Princeton WordNet 3.0: selected lexical senses

How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license

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