1 obtuse | Definition of obtuse
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obtuse

adjective
ob·​tuse | \ äb-ˈtüs How to pronounce obtuse (audio) , É™b-, -ˈtyüs\
obtuser; obtusest

Definition of obtuse

1a : not pointed or acute : blunt
b(1) of an angle : exceeding 90 degrees but less than 180 degrees
(2) : having an obtuse angle an obtuse triangle — see triangle illustration
c of a leaf : rounded at the free end
2a : lacking sharpness or quickness of sensibility or intellect : insensitive, stupid He is too obtuse to take a hint.
b : difficult to comprehend : not clear or precise in thought or expression It is also, unfortunately, ill-written, and at times obtuse and often trivial.— Shirley Hazzard
Other Words from obtuse Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Obtuse vs. Abstruse More Example Sentences Learn More about obtuse

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Other Words from obtuse

obtusely adverb
obtuseness noun

Synonyms & Antonyms for obtuse

Synonyms

blunt, blunted, dull, dulled

Antonyms

cutting, edged, edgy, ground, honed, keen, pointed, sharp, sharpened, whetted

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Choose the Right Synonym for obtuse

dull, blunt, obtuse mean not sharp, keen, or acute. dull suggests a lack or loss of keenness, zest, or pungency. a dull pain a dull mind blunt suggests an inherent lack of sharpness or quickness of feeling or perception. a person of blunt sensibility obtuse implies such bluntness as makes one insensitive in perception or imagination. too obtuse to take the hint

Obtuse vs. Abstruse

Obtuse, which comes to us from the Latin word obtusus, meaning "dull" or "blunt," can describe an angle that is not acute or a person who is mentally "dull" or slow of mind. The word has also developed a somewhat controversial sense of "hard to comprehend," probably as a result of confusion with abstruse. This sense of obtuse is well established, and it is now possible to speak of "obtuse language" and "obtuse explanations," as well as "obtuse angles" and "obtuse readers"; however, it may attract some criticism. If you're hesitant about using new meanings of words, you should probably stick with abstruse when you want a word meaning "difficult to understand."

Examples of obtuse in a Sentence

Murdoch's art, like all good art, is highly structured and controlled—a house neat and clean enough to satisfy the most morally obtuse of her upper-class British characters. — Martha C. Nussbaum, New Republic, 31 Dec. 2001 & 7 Jan. 2002 Only the most obtuse missed the main message: humans risked so distorting the natural order that they were sentencing themselves to be destroyed by frost or furnace. — Joseph A. Amato, Dust, 2000 In fact, he was too obtuse even to realize that his assignment to Tejas was a demotion … — James A. Michener, Texas, 1985 … either he, and the other people in his shop, and two people I subsequently ask are incapable of giving directions, or I am too rattled and obtuse to follow them, but I cannot find the police station. — Renata Adler, Pitch Dark, 1983 He is too obtuse to take a hint. obtuse scissors designed so that young users will not cut themselves
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Recent Examples on the Web

 Iskandar as Cuddy’s nemesis Frank, fits the mold of a future patriarch — ambitious, obtuse, self-serving and greedy. — Jordan Riefe, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Witch': Theater Review," 30 Aug. 2019 By throwing its weight behind a legal attack on the ACA that many legal experts consider frivolous and obtuse, Trump raised the stakes in the federal lawsuit brought by Texas and other red states. — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, "Column: The 10 worst things Trump has done to harm your healthcare," 20 Aug. 2019 Bad website user interfaces are perhaps the worst part of the internet: spammy pop-ups designed to trick you, dark patterns that are intentionally misleading, and just plain obtuse design decisions that make filling out a form virtual hell. — Chaim Gartenberg, The Verge, "‘User Inyerface’ teaches you about terrible modern web design by making you suffer through it," 3 July 2019 Movie-actor sympathy is QT’s obtuse version of humanism; his hipster notion of relationships rarely goes beyond clichéd cleverness. — Armond White, National Review, "Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood Is His Best Film," 26 July 2019 Dumpty’s first pick for Acosta’s position Could hardly have been more obtuse: Andy Puzder, renowned for his cheeseburger porno And rumors of spousal abuse. — John Lithgow, The New Yorker, "Acosta Agonistes," 11 July 2019 For instance, the fracture will propagate along paths of least resistance in a perimortem injury, and its direction will form an acute or obtuse angle. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Study concludes 33,000-year-old skull shows signs of blunt-force trauma," 6 July 2019 Yesterday’s obtuse view of music culture is unacceptable after the revelations of Vox Lux. — Armond White, National Review, "Yesterday Is Cynical, Fake Nostalgia," 28 June 2019 All of the above were at one time the latest obtuse term for some complicated technology that’s been hyped as the next leap in gaming graphics. — Boone Ashworth, WIRED, "What Is Ray Tracing? The Latest Gaming Buzzword Explained," 14 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'obtuse.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of obtuse

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

History and Etymology for obtuse

Middle English, from Latin obtusus blunt, dull, from past participle of obtundere to beat against, blunt, from ob- against + tundere to beat — more at ob-, contusion

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More Definitions for obtuse

obtuse

adjective
How to pronounce obtuse (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of obtuse

formal : stupid or unintelligent : not able to think clearly or to understand what is obvious or simple
mathematics : not ending in a sharp point : measuring between 90 degrees and 180 degrees

See the full definition for obtuse in the English Language Learners Dictionary

obtuse

adjective
ob·​tuse | \ äb-ˈtüs How to pronounce obtuse (audio) , -ˈtyüs\

Kids Definition of obtuse

1 : measuring more than a right angle

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