Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Usage Problem Totally or offensively conspicuous or obtrusive.
  • adjective Unpleasantly loud and noisy: synonym: vociferous.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Bellowing; bawling; noisy; loud-talking or loud-sounding.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Bellowing, as a calf; bawling; brawling; clamoring; disagreeably clamorous; sounding loudly and harshly.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Bellowing, as a calf; bawling; brawling; clamoring; disagreeably clamorous; sounding loudly and harshly.
  • adjective Obvious, on show

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective conspicuously and offensively loud; given to vehement outcry
  • adjective without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From Latin blatīre, to blab (on the model of words such as rampant).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

(1596) coined by Edmund Spenser ("blatant beast"). Probably a variation of *blatand (Scots blaitand), present participle of blate, a variation of bleat, equivalent to blate +‎ -and. See bleat.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word blatant.

Examples

  • WORD CORRECT PRONUNCIATION alma mater _alma mater_ apparatus _apparatus_ apricot _apricot_ attaché _attasha'_ audacious _audashus_ ballet _bal'la_ blasé _blaza'_ blatant _blatant_ chasten _chasen_

    Practical Grammar and Composition Thomas Wood

  • While Senate Republicans joined Democrats in pounding on the Goldman executives at the hearing and expressed comparable outrage over what they described as blatant conflicts of interest in the structuring of Goldman deals, they confidently trooped over to the Senate floor to vote again to block the bill.

    Robert Greenwald: Sanders: Scream and Shout for Wall Street Reform 2010

  • While Senate Republicans joined Democrats in pounding on the Goldman executives at the hearing and expressed comparable outrage over what they described as blatant conflicts of interest in the structuring of Goldman deals, they confidently trooped over to the Senate floor to vote again to block the bill.

    Dems Use Goldman Hearing In Push For Financial Reform, Voinovich Poised To Switch Vote 2010

  • While Senate Republicans joined Democrats in pounding on the Goldman executives at the hearing and expressed comparable outrage over what they described as blatant conflicts of interest in the structuring of Goldman deals, they confidently trooped over to the Senate floor to vote again to block the bill.

    Robert Greenwald: Sanders: Scream and Shout for Wall Street Reform 2010

  • While Senate Republicans joined Democrats in pounding on the Goldman executives at the hearing and expressed comparable outrage over what they described as blatant conflicts of interest in the structuring of Goldman deals, they confidently trooped over to the Senate floor to vote again to block the bill.

    Dems Use Goldman Hearing In Push For Financial Reform, Voinovich Poised To Switch Vote 2010

  • On recovering Bureche farm, National lands Institute (INTI) officials faced an angry oligarch opposing what he calls the blatant invasion of private property.

    Venezuela's Agrarian Reform in Action - INTI vs. Sigala in Barquisimeto 2009

  • It also criticised what it called the blatant disregard of the principals of consultation embodied in the African National

    ANC Daily News Briefing 1997

  • Commission to prevent what it termed blatant racism by a rightwing cultural organisation which was allowing only whites to enter a writing competition.

    ANC Daily News Briefing 1996

  • Nigerian government of what it called blatant contempt for the rule of law.

    ANC Daily News Briefing 1994

  • Mr Buthelezi on Wednesday criticised the media in general for what he termed their blatant misrepresentation of the IFP position at multiparty talks.

    ANC Daily News Briefing 1993

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • "Better blatant than latent" has always been my motto. (I don't know if that says more about me or the word... :-)

    July 20, 2009

  • adjective: without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious

    Allen was often punished in school for blatantly disrespecting teachers.

    October 19, 2016