obtuse
[ uhb-toos, -tyoos ]
/ əbˈtus, -ˈtyus /
adjective
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.
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Nearby words
Origin of obtuse
1500–10; < 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
SYNONYMS FOR obtuse
Related forms
Can be confusedabstruse obtuse
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for obtusely
British Dictionary definitions for obtusely
obtuse
/ (əbˈtjuːs) /
adjective
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; dullobtuse pain
(of a leaf or similar flat part) having a rounded or blunt tip
Derived Formsobtusely, adverbobtuseness, noun
Word Origin for obtuse
C16: from Latin obtūsus dulled, past participle of obtundere to beat down; see obtund
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
Word Origin and History for obtusely
obtuse
early 15c., "dull, blunted," from Middle French obtus (fem. obtuse), from Latin obtusus "blunted, dull," also used figuratively, past participle of obtundere "to beat against, make dull," from ob "against" (see ob-) + tundere "to beat," from PIE *(s)tud-e- "to beat, strike, push, thrust," from root *(s)teu- "to push, stick, knock, beat" (cf. Latin tudes "hammer," Sanskrit tudati "he thrusts"). Sense of "stupid" is first found c.1500. Related: Obtusely; obtuseness.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for obtusely
obtuse
[ ŏb-tōōs′, əb- ]
adj.
Lacking quickness of perception or intellect.
Not sharp or acute; blunt.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.