Definition: something/someone being so strikingly obvious it draws one’s attention, though occasionally it moonlights as being in obvious violation of good taste.
I like to think of it as a snarky “one of these things is not like the other”**.
Example: His conspicuous smirk made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.
Conspicuously (adv.)
Example: Despite her best efforts to ignore it, her eyes were drawn to the conspicuously placed letter.
Conspicuousness (n.)
Example: The conspicuousness of the corruption was the most painful part.
Etymology: from the proto-Indo-European root spek-, meaning something akin to watching, observing, looking, passing through latin’s conspicere, meaning something akin to thoroughly looking, and arriving at the adjectival form conspicuus meaning something akin to visible, plainly seen, open to view, striking, noticeable. In the more modern English context, it has equally taken on a slightly uncomfortable tone.
It does not have a directly correlating word in French, but the most probable candidate is likely voyant(e).
**lyric from the song One of These Things by the creators of Sesame Street
*text by J.L. Munn, image generated with ChatGPT via prompts by J.L. Munn
