unobtrusive

Etymology

PIE word *h₁epi From un- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + obtrusive.

adj

1. Not obtrusive; not blatant or noticeable; discreet, inconspicuous.
   Behind an unobtrusive iron door in Dalston decorated with an ever-changing graffiti skin, lies a staircase leading down to a concrete bunker dating from the second world war. 11 March 2014, Jen Wong, “Exploring the mind in a bunker”, in The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-11-13
   This unobtrusive device helps millions of Americans sleep and concentrate by hushing the world around them. 23 June 2019, Mack Hagood, “How a Bad Night’s Sleep Birthed the Sound Conditioner”, in The Atlantic, Washington, D.C.: The Atlantic Monthly Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-03-14
   The 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to three scientists whose work harnessed the power of molecular interaction and introduced new, unobtrusive ways of studying the natural world. 5 October 2022, Cora Engelbrecht, Euan Ward, Oliver Whang, “Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded to 3 scientists for work ‘snapping molecules together’”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-03-17