hidden in plain sight

adjective

Seemingly hidden, but actually not hidden and easy to find.

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Meanings

adjectivehidden in plain sight (not comparable)
  1. idiomaticnot comparableSeemingly hidden, but actually not hidden and easy to find.

    The postcard is “not a secret hidden document that nobody can find,” Mr. van der Veen said. “A lot of people have already seen it, and recognize the subject, the motif of tree roots. It was hidden in plain sight.”

    2020 July 28, Nina Siegal, “A Clue to Van Gogh’s Final Days Is Found in His Last Painting”, in New York Times

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 隱身於眾的 /隐身于众的
  • 隱身於眾的 /隐身于众的 (yǐnshēnyúzhòng de)seemingly hidden
Finnish piilossa keskellä pöytää
  • piilossa keskellä pöytääseemingly hidden
Cite this entry
APA

hidden in plain sight. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hidden%20in%20plain%20sight

MLA

“hidden in plain sight.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hidden%20in%20plain%20sight. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hidden in plain sight,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hidden%20in%20plain%20sight.

Source: hidden in plain sight on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.