obtuse

adjective

ob·​tuse äb-ˈtüs 

əb-,

-ˈtyüs

obtuser; obtusest

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

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

obtusely adverb

obtuseness noun

Did you know?

There’s a lot to understand about obtuse, so we’ll get straight to the point. Obtuse comes from a Latin word, obtusus, meaning “dull” or “blunt.” It can describe a geometric angle that is not acute (in other words one that exceeds 90 degrees but is less than 180 degrees), a leaf that is rounded at its free end, or a person who isn’t thinking clearly or who otherwise refuses to see something apparent to others—if someone asks you if you’re being obtuse about something, they are not paying you a compliment. Another common sense (no pun intended) of obtuse related to apprehension is “hard to comprehend,” often applied to speech or writing that isn’t clearly expressed or thought out. This sense may have developed due to the influence of two similar-sounding words: abstruse, a formal word that also means “hard to comprehend,” and obscure, a word that can mean, among other things, “not readily understood or clearly expressed.”

Synonyms

• blunt
• blunted
• dull
• dulled

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

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

Recent Examples on the Web

See the previous discussion of economists, and their horridly obtuse belief that war grows the economy. —John Tamny, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024

The dismissals were compelled by twin obtuse opinions of the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) in the Department of Justice issued in 1973 and 2000. —Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 4 Dec. 2024

Hence the obtuse rabbis, the cowering Uncle Yasha, and, in Aliyah of the 1990s, the naked Russian woman, presumably a prostitute, presenting herself doggy-style. —Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 5 Oct. 2024

Monster Hunter Wilds, released in February of this year, is another example of a series that changed its arcade-y spirit for a more photo mode-worthy presentation, while streamlining the obtuse friction that the original games were known for. —Diego Argüello, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for obtuse

• abstruse
• abuse
• adduce
• atreus
• caboose
• cayuse
• conduce
• deduce
• diffuse
• disuse
• excuse
• footloose

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Kids Definition

obtuse

adjective

ob·​tuse äb-ˈt(y)üs 

obtuser; obtusest

1

: not pointed or sharp : blunt

2

a

: being between 90° and 180°

an obtuse angle

b

: having an obtuse angle

an obtuse triangle

3

: not quick or keen of understanding or feeling

obtuseness noun

Medical Definition

obtuse

adjective

ob·​tuse äb-ˈt(y)üs, əb- 

obtuser; obtusest

1

: lacking sharpness or quickness of sensibility or intellect

2

: not pointed or acute

obtuse pain