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I'm new here. Nice to meet everyone.

I'm a writer and my quest to find the appropriate word led me here. Specifically, I'm trying to find a word to describe the way someone utters a phrase.

Saying "She says it like it's obvious.", "She says it like it's evident." or any variation seems to be far too clunky versus just using an adjective that means that. Is there such an adjective? Thank you.

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    IMHO, there is no single word to express "as if it is obvious"
    – Graffito
    Commented Oct 20, 2016 at 20:17
  • How about "naturally"? I searched adverb for "take for granted" and "naturally" was one of the results.
    – Terry Li
    Commented Oct 20, 2016 at 20:21
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    Condescendingly?
    – CrystalDuck
    Commented Oct 21, 2016 at 11:37
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    Are you looking for an adjective with a negative connotation?
    – landocalrissian
    Commented Oct 21, 2016 at 12:03
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    If you were writing on Twitter, you might have said something like “she duh’ed at him”.
    – Janus Bahs Jacquet
    Commented Oct 22, 2016 at 15:11

2 Answers 2

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You may want to try the adverb matter-of-factly.

Wiktionary:

Adverb matter-of-factly ‎(not comparable)

As though stating a fact.  

As though the situation is normal and not unusual; not dramatically or fancifully.

M-W:

matter-of-factly adverb

: without showing emotion especially when talking about exciting or upsetting things : She explained the problem matter-of-factly.

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    That doesn't really imply any kind of obviousness, just simplicity and lack of bravado.
    – Janus Bahs Jacquet
    Commented Oct 22, 2016 at 15:09
  • I thought as though stating a fact can be taken as an approximation of saying as though it is obvious.
    – alwayslearning
    Commented Oct 22, 2016 at 17:31
  • That has a nice kick, yet, only usually says or means unusual callously handing, out facts. Is there an adverb like it that maybe is a more formal way of saying "Duh!"?
    – eriennexton
    Commented Oct 23, 2016 at 22:43
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I've been thinking about this myself, and I think depending on the context you could use, "she scoffed"; it's not exactly the same thing, but I think it can work in a lot of situations, i.e. "'Of course I'm not lying,' she scoffed."

Cambridge gives:

scoff verb (LAUGH)

to laugh and talk about a person or idea in a way that shows that you think they are stupid or silly:
The critics scoffed at his painting.

to speak about someone or something in a way which shows that you have no respect for that person or thing:
The coach scoffed at the notion that he was about to resign.

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  • Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please edit to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center.
    – Community Bot
    Commented Jul 30, 2023 at 0:39
  • Hi @guest writer, welcome to EL&U. I added the definition for you and encourage you to see the help center and take the site tour. You can always edit to give more information about how this answers the question.
    – livresque
    Commented Jul 30, 2023 at 1:02

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