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
Words Nearby obtuse
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use obtuse in a sentence
The gaming-related features of a TV are, surprisingly, slightly less obtuse.
If the domestic workload happened to fit into the rough equivalent of the hours your partner spends at paid work, then I suppose it would make a kind of obtuse, bean-counting sense that you do “all” house and kid stuff.
Carolyn Hax: Wife becomes at-home mom, husband quits all ‘house and kid stuff’ | Carolyn Hax | January 18, 2022 | Washington PostIt revealed the obtuse toxicity of privilege, how desperation morphs into resignation for the marginalized, and how everyone’s personal journey is monumental, no matter how small it might seem to the outside world.
The Daily Beast’s 21 Best TV Shows of 2021: From ‘Squid Game’ and ‘Succession’ to ‘Sex Education’ | Kevin Fallon | December 20, 2021 | The Daily BeastOne that represented what the Games are supposed to be about and validated my foolish decision to spend every hour outside of work watching the often obtuse and ignorant coverage of events.
The 2021 Olympics Are an Inspiring, Infuriating Shitshow | Kevin Fallon | July 30, 2021 | The Daily BeastDevi’s relationship with Ben encourages her to extend empathy toward those she has written off, while Paxton’s often obtuse behavior teaches her to stand up for what she deserves.
The teen love triangle is a complicated TV tradition. ‘Never Have I Ever’ actually pulls it off. | Sonia Rao | July 22, 2021 | Washington Post
Or at least not obtuse about The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P.
How to Get Laid in Brooklyn a la Adelle Waldman’s Nifty Novel of Manners | Tom LeClair | July 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBennett has a point, but, in a perilously obtuse way, he's also missing the point.
Israel's Latest Prisoner Release is an Unconvincing Goodwill Gesture | Matt Lerner | October 30, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTStupples plays Pete as an absurdly obtuse man-child who reads as David Brent without the mean streak.
‘Family Tree’ Brings Christopher Guest’s Mockumentary Style to HBO | Jace Lacob | May 8, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThat fact makes it shockingly obtuse of Hyundai to make mockery of the act in an ad for its new ix35.
GM Is Racist, Pepsi Is Sexist & More in the Week in Offensive Ads (Video) | Kevin Fallon | May 2, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST"He is not entirely obtuse about what the relationship really is," Miller said.
No trail was so obtuse, no thicket so dense that members of that regiment would not track them to their lair.
The Courier of the Ozarks | Byron A. DunnEither Mrs. Morgan was obtuse or ignorant, for she gave no response for some time to Mary's stream of words.
The Life of Thomas Wanless, Peasant | Alexander Johnstone WilsonMuch as Jethro had blundered, and obtuse as he was in many things, he understood what had taken place.
The Phantom of the River | Edward S. EllisThe second Swastika has its ends bent at an obtuse angle to the left, and at the extremities the lines taper to a point.
The Swastika | Thomas WilsonDirectly across from them at a table which formed a wide obtuse angle with theirs were four girls.
Marjorie Dean College Freshman | Pauline Lester
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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