observer

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Related to observer: independent, guardian, telegraph, Sunday Observer

ob·serv·er

(əb-zûr′vər)

1. One who observes: an observer of local customs; observers of religious holidays.

2. One who is sent to observe and report on events or proceedings without directly participating in them.

a. A crew member on a military aircraft who makes observations.

b. A member of an armed force who watches and reports from an observation post.

observer

(əbˈzɜːvə)

1. a person or thing that observes

2. a person who attends a conference solely to note the proceedings

3. (Military) a person trained to identify aircraft, esp, formerly, a member of an aircrew

ob•serv•er

(əbˈzɜr vər)

n.

1. someone or something that observes.

2. a delegate to an assembly or gathering, who is sent to observe and report but not to take part officially in its activities.

[1545–55]

observer

camera lucida - An optical device consisting of an attachment that enables an observer to view simultaneously the image and a drawing surface for sketching it.
horoscope - Comes from Greek hora, "hour, time," and skopos, "observer."
obverse - Its first meaning was "turned towards or facing the observer."
zenith, nadir - Zenith derived from Arabic samt ar-ras, "the way or road above one's head"; zenith technically is the point directly above the observer and nadir is the point directly below.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	observer - a person who becomes aware (of things or events) through the senses beholder, perceiver, percipient individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul - a human being; "there was too much for one person to do" eyeglass wearer - a person who wears spectacles in order to see better discoverer, finder, spotter - someone who is the first to observe something attender, auditor, hearer, listener - someone who listens attentively audile - one whose mental imagery is auditory rather than visual or motor motile - one whose prevailing mental imagery takes the form of inner feelings of action noticer - someone who takes notice; "a careful noticer of details" seer - an observer who perceives visually; "an incurable seer of movies" looker, spectator, viewer, watcher, witness - a close observer; someone who looks at something (such as an exhibition of some kind); "the spectators applauded the performance"; "television viewers"; "sky watchers discovered a new star" visualiser, visualizer - one whose prevailing mental imagery is visual witness, witnesser, informant - someone who sees an event and reports what happened
	2.	observer - an expert who observes and comments on something commentator expert - a person with special knowledge or ability who performs skillfully annotator - a commentator who writes notes to a text

observer

noun

1. witness, viewer, spectator, looker-on, watcher, onlooker, eyewitness, bystander, spotter, fly on the wall, beholder A casual observer would have assumed they were lovers.

2. commentator, commenter, reporter, special correspondent Political observers believe there may be a general election soon.

3. monitor, inspector, watchdog, supervisor, overseer, scrutineer A UN observer should attend the conference.

Quotations
"I am a camera with its shutter open, quite passive, recording, not thinking" [Christopher Isherwood Goodbye to Berlin]

observer

noun

Someone who observes:

beholder, bystander, looker-on, onlooker, spectator, watcher.

Translations

مُراقِبمُرَاقِبٌّ

pozorovatelpřihlížející

observatør

Beobachter Betrachter Betrachterin

παρατηρητής

observador

tarkkailija

observateur

promatrač

athugandi, skoîandi

osservatore

観察者

관찰자

observatör

ผู้สังเกตการณ์

gözlemci

quan sát viên

观察者观测者

observer

[əbˈzɜːvəʳ] N → observador(a) m/f

observer

[əbˈzɜː^rvə^r] n

(= onlooker) → observateur/trice m/f
a casual observer → un observateur superficiel

(= expert) → observateur/trice m/f
Political observers believe that a decision may be announced shortly → Les observateurs politiques pensent qu'une décision pourrait être annoncée prochainement.

(= witness) → témoin m
Observers say the woman stabbed him → Les témoins disent que la femme l'a poignardé.

observer

n (= watcher) → Zuschauer(in) m(f); (Mil, Aviat, Pol) → Beobachter(in) m(f)

observer

[əbˈzɜːvəʳ] n → osservatore/trice

observe

(əbˈzəːv) verb

1. to notice. I observed her late arrival.

2. to watch carefully. She observed his actions with interest.

3. to obey. We must observe the rules.

4. to make a remark. `It's a lovely day', he observed.

obˈservance noun

1. the act of obeying rules etc. the observance of the law.

2. the act of observing (a tradition etc). the observance of religious holidays.

obˈservant adjective

quick to notice. An observant boy remembered the car's registration number.

ˌobserˈvation (ob-) noun

1. the act of noticing or watching. She is in hospital for observation.

2. a remark.

obˈservatory – plural obˈservatories – noun

a place for observing and studying the stars, weather etc.

obˈserver noun

a person who observes.

observer

→ مُرَاقِبٌّ přihlížející observatør Beobachter παρατηρητής observador tarkkailija observateur promatrač osservatore 観察者 관찰자 observator observatør obserwator observador наблюдатель observatör ผู้สังเกตการณ์ gözlemci quan sát viên 观察者

References in classic literature ?

Her monstrosities in the way of cattle would have taken prizes at an agricultural fair, and the perilous pitching of her vessels would have produced seasickness in the most nautical observer, if the utter disregard to all known rules of shipbuilding and rigging had not convulsed him with laughter at the first glance.

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A casual and indiscriminating observer, in passing, might not cast a second glance upon the figure.

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Had there been one there sufficiently disengaged to become a close observer, he might have fancied that the services of the young chief were not entirely impartial.

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It appears to me -- who have been a calm and curious observer, as well in victory as defeat -- that this fierce and bitter spirit of malice and revenge has never distinguished the many triumphs of my own party as it now did that of the Whigs.

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The quiet tone in which the woman pronounced these words might have led a superficial observer to think that she was entirely apathetic; but there was a calm, settled depth of anguish in her large, dark eye, that spoke of something far otherwise.

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This young girl kept a scrap-book when she was alive, and used to paste obituaries and accidents and cases of patient suffering in it out of the Presbyterian Observer, and write poetry after them out of her own head.

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As to the nature of these friendships, which seemed so many to the eye of the superficial observer, they were of various kinds, and while the girl pursued them with enthusiasm and ardor, they left her unsatisfied and heart-hungry; they were never intimacies such as are so readily made by shallow natures.

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Knightley's pretensions) with the skill of such an observer on such a question as herself, that he had spoken it hastily and in anger, she was able to believe, that he had rather said what he wished resentfully to be true, than what he knew any thing about.

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Jennings's suggestion; and she could not help believing herself the nicest observer of the two;--she watched his eyes, while Mrs.

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that opened upon a careful observer, now and then, in his eye, and closed again before one could fathom the strange depth partially disclosed; that something which used to make me fear and shrink, as if I had been wandering amongst volcanic-looking hills, and had suddenly felt the ground quiver and seen it gape: that something, I, at intervals, beheld still; and with throbbing heart, but not with palsied nerves.

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He was undeniably handsome, graceful, well-bred -- but no close observer could look at him without suspecting that the stout old family stock had begun to wear out in the later generations, and that Mr.

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That my papa was too partial, I well know; but that he was an observer of character in some degree, my duty and my reason equally forbid me to doubt.