Synonyms

obtuseness

American

[uhb-toos-nis, -tyoos-] / əbˈtus nɪs, -ˈtyus- /

noun

lack of quickness, alertness, or sensitivity in perception, intellect, or feeling, often arising from conscious or unconscious resistance.

What I find very tiresome is your willful obtuseness—your refusal to admit facts that are well-known or arguments you have lost.
the quality or degree of bluntness in physical form; lack of sharpness or acuteness.

Platybasia is an abnormal obtuseness of the basal angle of the brain.
the fact or quality of being indistinctly felt or perceived, as pain or sound.

The chief indication of deep-seated, pervasive inflammation seems to be the obtuseness of the pain.

Other Word Forms

subobtuseness noun

Etymology

Origin of obtuseness

First recorded in 1640–50; obtuse ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

His righteous moral obtuseness is the most chilling note in this production.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2023

One of the great Twitter accounts documenting this is called VCs Congratulating Themselves—a collection of venture capitalists posting with mind-blowing obtuseness.

From Slate • Nov. 10, 2023

Howard longs to be close to Momo, and, in his emotional obtuseness, can’t grasp what the impediment is.

From New York Times • Nov. 10, 2022

For many viewers, it was "Home Alone" through which they were first introduced to Catherine O'Hara's unique style of comedic obtuseness.

From Salon • Dec. 10, 2020

Rebuffed, unhappy at the obtuseness of the very flat, the apple bumps the square and sends him aloft, fluttering and spinning into that mysterious third dimension.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023