obtuse

American  

[uhb-toos, -tyoos] / əbˈtus, -ˈtjus /

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

• obtuseness
  noun
• subobtuse
  adjective
• obtusely
  adverb
• 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

Explanation

The adjective obtuse is good for describing someone slow on the uptake: "Don't be so obtuse: get with the program!" The adjective obtuse literally means "rounded" or "blunt," but when it's used for a person, it means "not quick or alert in perception" — in other words, not the sharpest tool in the shed. It's not just for dull people, but also dull angles: in geometry, an obtuse angle is one that is not so sharp (between 90 and 180 degrees).

Example Sentences

Obtuse, self-pitying, domineering, obsessive, hypocritical, opinionated, exacting, intolerant, selfish, malevolent, deluded, manic�in fact, just about every pejorative word in the language could be applied to Lucy Nelson.

From Time Magazine Archive

Obtuse as she was, a certain change in Rachael had not entirely escaped the younger woman.

From The Heart of Rachael by Norris, Kathleen Thompson

Obtuse, blunt or round at the end, 54.

From The Elements of Botany For Beginners and For Schools by Gray, Asa

Obtuse as most men are, with things going on right under their eyes, it is not easy to baffle them when once their curiosity is roused.

From Lazy Thoughts of a Lazy Girl Sister of that "Idle Fellow." by Wren, Jenny

Obtuse is applied to any of these figures that is not very decided.

From American Pomology Apples by Warder, J. A.