évidente

Évidente is a Romance language term used mainly in French and Portuguese, and similar cognates appear in other Romance languages such as Spanish. It functions as an adjective meaning clear, obvious, or self-evident, often describing something that does not require further proof. In French, evidente is the feminine form of the adjective évident, used to agree with feminine nouns (for example, une conclusion évidente). The masculine form is évident, and the related adverb is évidemment. In Portuguese and Spanish, the equivalent adjective is typically written without the acute accent in everyday spelling (evidente in Portuguese; evidente in Spanish) and follows standard gender agreement, e.g., um motivo evidente, uma razão evidente in Portuguese; un hecho evidente in Spanish.

Etymology traces evidente to the Latin word evidens, from evīdere “to be evident/clear,” itself from the combination of e- “out, forth” and vidēre “to see.” The term has evolved in each language to denote something that is readily perceived as true or obvious, often used in argumentation, descriptions, and explanations.

Usage and nuance vary slightly by language. In French, evidentes, evidemment, and related forms often convey a strong sense of obviousness in rhetorical or descriptive contexts. In Portuguese and Spanish, the word is common in everyday narration and formal writing, typically paired with clauses such as “é evidente que” or “es evidente que” to introduce a clear or undeniable fact. Related terms include évidence/evidência (noun forms) and synonyms such as manifeste, patent, or claro.

See also: évidence, evidência, evidence, evident.