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observer Definition

ob·server (əb zʉrv′ər)

noun

  1. a person who observes something; specif.,
    1. a soldier manning an observation post
    2. a person who attends an assembly, convention, etc., not as an official delegate but only to observe and report the proceedings
    3. an official, usually a member of a group, sent by a UN committee to collect and report facts on the situation in a special area
  2. a member of an aircraft crew, other than a pilot, with certain specialized duties and a special rating (aircraft observer)
observer Synonyms

observer

n.

  1. One who watches

    watcher, watchman, sentinel, lookout, sentry, guard, detective, policeman, reconnoiterer, spectator, eyewitness, beholder, onlooker, bystander, passer-by, meddler, peeper, voyeur, prying person, peeping Tom*, rubberneck*; see also spy, witness.

  2. One who offers original comment

    commentator, novelist, columnist, armchair quarterback*, drugstore cowboy*; see also author 2, historian, writer.

observer Usage Examples

Converse of subject

  • perceive: Indeed, the isolated sytem does not absorb or emit anything... and, as a result, cannot be perceived by any observer.
  • observe: Time in a moving system will be observed by a stationary observer to be running slower by the following factor.

Converse of object

  • detach: They were not there as entirely detached observers, tho some did their best to be.
  • invite: We were the only British representatives among 250 observers invited from around the world.
  • send: The OSCE has sent 10,000 observers to more than 150 elections in the past 10 years.
  • surprise: Although the election results surprised many observers, both sides began conversations to bring a peaceful transfer of power.
  • remind: However, this cameo from Jones is starting to remind this observer of the NatWest Series final when England managed to scramble a draw.

Adjective modifier

  • casual: To walk is to thrust oneself into the melee rather than maintain the distance of a casual observer.
  • impartial: What seems criminality on a grand scale to the impartial observer was to the British simply a matter of getting on with the job.
  • disinterested: It is clear to even the most disinterested observer that the cost of purchasing a PC has fallen considerably.
  • passive: But the Empress was more than just a passive observer.
  • seasoned: When times are hard, a seasoned observer might be inclined to say that shoppers will head for the value end of the market.
  • neutral: Personally, I think Kev Howitt's past words and actions preclude him from being regarded as a neutral observer.

Modifies a noun

  • status: Children should only be allowed observer status from a safe distance.
  • bias: The Late Neolithic of the southern Levant: Hiatus, settlement shift or observer bias?
  • mission: Quite soon Arthur was sent to Manchuria where he was part of the British observer mission with the Japanese army fighting the Russians.

Noun used with modifier

  • saysnarky: Is in theory officials saysnarky observers private contractors which.
  • artillery: The main body the the Russians moved forward, with infantry, tanks and artillery observers at the front.
  • participant: Assessment During the program, you will progress from participant observer, via support teacher and sharing teacher, to lead teacher.
  • election: The UK has also provided substantial numbers of election observers through OSCE Election Observer Mission.
observer Quotes

The controversy over freedom of speech and of the press is at the bottom a controversy over the desirability, or otherwise, of telling lies.What is really at issue is the right to report events truthfully, or as truthfully as is consistent with the ignorance, bias and self-deception from which every observer necessarily suffers.

—Orwell, George pseudonym of  Eric Arthur Blair

   To the man-in-the-street, who, I'm sorry to say, Is a keen observer of life, The word 'Intellectual'suggests straight away A man who's untrue to his wife.

—Auden,W(ystan) H(ugh)

'I was ruminating,'said Mr Pickwick,'on the strange mutability of human affairs.' 'Ah! I seeöin at the palace door one day, out at the window the next. Philosopher, Sir?' 'An observer of human nature, sir,'said Mr Pickwick.

—Dickens, CharlesJohn Huffam

Even the categories inwhich experiences are subsumed, collected, and ordered varyaccording to the social position of the observer.

—Mannheim, Karl