observant
Quick to notice things that other people miss.
observant in a sentence
- The observant detective spotted the muddy footprint that everyone else had walked straight past.
- Being observant, Nan noticed straight away that the birds had built a new nest above the shed door.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to observant?
- Aalert
- Bwatchful
- Csharp
- Dinattentive
Show the answer
D: inattentive. The other three mean nearly the same as observant.
Words that mean something similar
watchful, alert, sharp
Words that mean the opposite
inattentive
More words about thinking & learning
- observe: To watch something carefully in order to learn about it.
- outwit: To beat someone by being cleverer than they are.
- pensive: Quietly thinking hard about something, often looking a little sad.
- perceive: To notice or understand something.
- perplexed: Confused and unable to understand something.
- plausible: Sounding reasonable and likely to be true.
- ponder: To think about something slowly and carefully.
- precise: Exact and completely accurate.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test