obtuse

ob·tuse

adj \äb-ˈtüs, əb-, -ˈtyüs\

ob·tus·erob·tus·est

Definition of OBTUSE

1

a : 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

2

a : lacking sharpness or quickness of sensibility or intellect : insensitive, stupid b : difficult to comprehend : not clear or precise in thought or expression

— ob·tuse·ly adverb

— ob·tuse·ness noun

Examples of OBTUSE

1. He is too obtuse to take a hint.
2. <obtuse scissors designed so that young users will not cut themselves>
3. 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
4. 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
5. In fact, he was too obtuse even to realize that his assignment to Tejas was a demotion … —James A. Michener, Texas, 1985
6. … 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

Origin of 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

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to OBTUSE

Synonyms: blunt, blunted, dulled, dull

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

Related Words: dullish; rounded, smooth; even, flat, flattened, level

Near Antonyms: jagged, needlelike, prickly, spiked, spikelike, spiky (also spikey), spiny; jabbing, lacerating, piercing, scratching, stabbing; ultrasharp

see all synonyms and antonyms

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See Synonym Discussion at dull

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

abscissa, denominator, divisor, equilateral, exponent, hypotenuse, logarithm, oblique, radii, rhomb

Rhymes with OBTUSE

Aarhus, abstruse, abuse, adduce, Atreus, blue spruce, burnoose, caboose, Cayuse, Cepheus, ceruse, charmeuse, chartreuse, Chartreuse, conduce, couscous, cut loose, deduce, diffuse, disuse, educe, effuse, excuse, fair use, footloose, hang loose, induce, Lanús, misuse, mongoose, Morpheus, negus, Orpheus, papoose, Peleus, Perseus, prepuce, produce, profuse, Proteus, Purus, recluse, red spruce, reduce, refuse, retuse, reuse, Sanctus, seduce, slip noose, snow goose, Tereus, Theseus, traduce, transduce, turn loose, unloose, vamoose