Standard Lemma guide

self-evident

adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

adj

Meaning 1

Obviously true, and requiring no proof, argument or explanation, axiomatic.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

evident without proof or argument

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an axiomatic truth
  • we hold these truths to be self-evident

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: axiomatic, taken for granted(p)

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *swé? Proto-Indo-European *selbh-der. Proto-Germanic *selbaz Old English self Old English self- Middle English self- English self- English evident English self-evident From self- + evident.

Across languages

Translations

39 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: очевиден (očeviden) — obviously true
  • Chinese Mandarin: 不言而喻 (bùyán'éryù) — obviously true
  • Chinese Mandarin: 不言自明 (bùyánzìmíng) — obviously true
  • Chinese Mandarin: 顯然 /显然 (xiǎnrán) — obviously true
  • Czech: samozřejmý — obviously true
  • Dutch: vanzelfsprekend — obviously true
  • Esperanto: memkomprenebla — obviously true
  • Estonian: enesestmõistetav — obviously true
  • Finnish: itsestään selvä — obviously true
  • French: l'évidence même — obviously true
  • Georgian: აშკარა (ašḳara) — obviously true
  • Georgian: ნათელი (nateli) — obviously true
  • Georgian: ცხადი (cxadi) — obviously true
  • Georgian: თავისთავად ცხადი (tavistavad cxadi) — obviously true
  • Georgian: უდავო (udavo) — obviously true
  • German: selbstverständlich — obviously true
  • Greek: αυταπόδεικτος (aftapódeiktos) — obviously true
  • Greek: αυτονόητος (aftonóitos) — obviously true
  • Hindi: आत्मसिद्ध (ātmasiddh) — obviously true
  • Hungarian: magától értetődő — obviously true
  • Icelandic: sjálfgefinn — obviously true
  • Icelandic: sjálfsagður — obviously true
  • Italian: evidente — obviously true
  • Italian: lapalissiano — obviously true
  • Italian: ovvio — obviously true
  • Japanese: 自明の (jimei no) — obviously true
  • Navajo: tʼáá bééhózíní — obviously true
  • Polish: zrozumiały sam przez się — obviously true
  • Portuguese: autoevidente — obviously true
  • Portuguese: óbvio — obviously true
  • Romanian: de la sine înțeles — obviously true
  • Romanian: de la sine evident — obviously true
  • Russian: самоочеви́дный (samoočevídnyj) — obviously true
  • Russian: само́ собо́й разуме́ющийся (samó sobój razuméjuščijsja) — obviously true
  • Russian: очеви́дный (očevídnyj) — obviously true
  • Spanish: autoevidente — obviously true
  • Spanish: lógico — obviously true
  • Spanish: evidente — obviously true
  • Swedish: självklar — obviously true