Meanings
- uncountableScientologyObserving the obvious.
Obnosis (observing the obvious) must be used at every moment to determine the best next step with any student.
1970, B. Robert Ross, A Parent's Guide to the Teaching of Reading: A Compilation of Old and New Methods of Teaching and a New View of the Reading Process: Upstat Pub. Co.2 more examples
Here you will find the Instructor's Code, Obnosis and the Tone Scale and one of the best descriptions of Assist processing ever published.
1958, Ability, Hubbard Association of Scientologists, International, page 12Hubbard created Scientology's language to be unique to its members. It includes words that are interpretations, or variations, of standard terms: "isness," for example, which Scientology's glossaries say, in essence, means "reality." But there are also words that are wholly made up, such as "obnosis," which means "observation of the obvious."
[2006 February 23, Janet Reitman, “Inside Scientology: Unlocking the complex code of America's most mysterious religion”, in Rolling Stone
Origin
Coined by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, apparently as a blend of observe + gnosis.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
obnosis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obnosis
“obnosis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obnosis. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “obnosis,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obnosis.
Source: obnosis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.