This adverb describes action done openly, publicly, or clearly rather than secretly or ambiguously. It emphasizes visibility and lack of concealment. The root adjective phaneros means "visible" or "manifest" (related to phainō, "to shine" or "appear"). Ancient rhetoric valued speaking phanerōs—clearly and straightforwardly—as opposed to speaking in riddles. The New Testament uses capture both literal visibility (appearing publicly) and epistemological clarity (seeing distinctly, knowing certainly). The adverb marks a contrast with hiddenness or obscurity.