visibility

Everyday

1. How far or how clearly you can see, especially because of weather or light. tree →
2. How easy something is to see or notice. tree →
3. How much people know about or notice someone or something. tree →

In the lessons

In weather and road safety: low visibility in fog means drive slowly and use lights; high-visibility (hi-vis) jackets help people be seen. In news and business: a campaign raises visibility. Phrases: «poor visibility», «high-visibility», «visibility is down to …».

Examples

• Visibility was poor because of thick fog. tree →
• Wear a high-visibility vest when you cycle at night. tree →
• In the fog, visibility was down to 50 metres. tree →
• Bright colours increase the visibility of road signs. tree →
• Pilots need good visibility to land. tree →
• The charity wants more visibility for its cause. tree →

Note

Uncountable. Adjective: visible. «Hi-vis» is short for high-visibility (informal, UK, Australia). In maths, visibility is often measured in metres or kilometres.