apparent、obvious、evident、clear、plain、distinct、definite与manifest这些形容词均含“清楚的、明白的、明显的”之意。
apparent ：强调显而易见或一想便知。这个词从动词appear派生而来，故有时含有表面如此而事实上未必的意味。
- It was apparent from her face that she was really upset.
从面容上一眼就可以看出她确实心绪烦乱。
obvious ：语气较强，指极为明显，有目共睹，无需说明和论证。
- It was obvious to everyone that the child had been badly treated.
人人一看便知，那个孩子受过虐待。
evident ：指根据事实成为显然的。
- It has now become evident to us that a mistake has been made.
我们已经清楚出了差错。
clear ：普通用词，侧重清楚明白。
- She gave me clear and precise directions.
她给了我清晰而准确的指示。
plain ：普通用词，含义与clear很接近，可通用，但plain着重简单明了，不复杂。
- He made it plain that we should leave.
他明确表示要我们离开。
distinct ：较正式用词，指轮廓的清楚或定义、含义的明确，不会弄错。
- His voice was quiet but every word was distinct.
他说话声音不大，但字字清晰。
definite ：语气肯定，着重明白无误，无可怀疑。
- Can you give me a definite answer by tomorrow?
你最晚明天能给我一个确定的答复吗？
manifest ：语义较强，书面用词，强调一目了然，暗示不要任何推论就一清二楚。
- Social tensions were manifested in the recent political crisis.
最近的政治危机显示了社会关系的紧张。
