obtuse
not quick or alert in perception, feeling, or intellect; not sensitive or observant; dull.
not sharp, acute, or pointed; blunt in form.
(of a leaf, petal, etc.) rounded at the extremity.
indistinctly felt or perceived, as pain or sound.
Origin of obtuse
1Other words for obtuse
Other words from obtuse
- ob·tuse·ly, adverb
- ob·tuse·ness, noun
- sub·ob·tuse, adjective
- sub·ob·tuse·ly, adverb
Words that may be confused with obtuse
- abstruse, obtuse
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use obtuse in a sentence
Japanese geishas and Arab sheiks are also obtusely name-checked.
GM Is Racist, Pepsi Is Sexist & More in the Week in Offensive Ads (Video) | Kevin Fallon | May 2, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTBut that's just being wrong about something, maybe even obtusely so, but it isn't lying.
The city marshal obtusely didn't look inside the door for visual evidences of any trouble within; he would listen to no reason.
Back Home | Irvin S. CobbWhen do women want the bulky, solid reasons obtusely demanded by men before they can be enemies?
The Woman With The Fan | Robert HichensBranches obtusely 4-sided, hairy; flowers pale lilac, in interrupted panicles, agreeably sweet-scented in late summer.
Trees of the Northern United States | Austin C. Apgar
The neck and legs are short; the ears are likewise short, obtusely pointed, and lie close to the head.
Oregon and Eldorado | Thomas BulfinchAchene obtusely triangular, partly 3-celled, enclosed in the indurated calyx.
British Dictionary definitions for obtuse
/ (əbˈtjuːs) /
mentally slow or emotionally insensitive
maths
(of an angle) lying between 90° and 180°
(of a triangle) having one interior angle greater than 90°
not sharp or pointed
indistinctly felt, heard, etc; dull: obtuse pain
(of a leaf or similar flat part) having a rounded or blunt tip
Origin of obtuse
1Derived forms of obtuse
- obtusely, adverb
- obtuseness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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