obtuse

[uhb-toos, -tyoos]

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.

obtuse

/ 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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of obtuse¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of obtuse¹

C16: from Latin obtūsus dulled, past participle of obtundere to beat down; see _obtund

Example Sentences

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.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

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

Read more on 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.

Read more on 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.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

As a metaphor for obtuse white supremacy, still active today, that terror figure is hard to beat.

Read more on Los Angeles Times