obtuse

American  

[uhb-toos, -tyoos] / əbˈtus, -ˈtyus /

adjective

1. not quick or alert in perception, feeling, or intellect; not sensitive or observant; dull.

   Synonyms:

   dim, slow, boorish, gauche, unobservant, imperceptive, blind, insensitive, tactless, unfeeling

2. not sharp, acute, or pointed; blunt in form.

3. (of a leaf, petal, etc.) rounded at the extremity.

4. indistinctly felt or perceived, as pain or sound.

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obtuse British  

/ əbˈtjuːs /

adjective

1. mentally slow or emotionally insensitive

2. maths

   1. (of an angle) lying between 90° and 180°

   2. (of a triangle) having one interior angle greater than 90°

3. not sharp or pointed

4. indistinctly felt, heard, etc; dull

   obtuse pain

5. (of a leaf or similar flat part) having a rounded or blunt tip

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Other Word Forms

• obtusely adverb
• obtuseness noun
• subobtuse adjective
• subobtusely adverb

Etymology

Origin of obtuse

First recorded in 1500–10; from Latin obtūsus “dulled,” past participle of obtundere, equivalent to ob- ob- + tūd-, variant stem of tundere “to beat” + -tus past participle suffix, with dt > s

Example Sentences

If you can square those actions with Hernández’s pardon and not throw your back out in the process you’re either more pliable than most or willfully obtuse.

From Los Angeles Times

As the eponymous figure, a global Hollywood icon, Mr. Clooney is obtuse yet endearing as his character tries to reconnect with his young-adult daughter on a jaunt through Europe to an Italian film festival.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ms. Field finds this obtuse, considering America’s actual history.

From The Wall Street Journal

Though Godard later came to be synonymous with turgid, obtuse cinema, “Nouvelle Vague” is the opposite: a sprightly, effervescent ode to moviemaking as semi-controlled mischief.

From The Wall Street Journal

From “Civil War” to “Game Night,” Plemons has a knack for playing characters who are doggedly, dangerously obtuse, a key he’s still working in here.

From Los Angeles Times