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Definition of obviate
obviated
;obviating
transitive verb
: to anticipate and prevent (something, such as a situation) or make (an action) unnecessary The new medical treatment obviates the need for surgery.
From the M-W Editors
obviate was our Word of the Day on 03/30/2013. Hear the podcast!
Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
Examples of obviate in a Sentence
The new medical treatment obviates the need for surgery.
The new treatment obviates many of the risks associated with surgery.
Recent Examples of obviate from the Web
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Spending a few minutes shaking everyone's hand before the flight leaves the gate obviates a potential headache for the pilots and crew.
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Macron hopes to secure a loyal parliamentary majority that could help obviate such blunt measures.
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No amount of money obviates the costs of fighting gravity.
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His 1999 book argued that there could be a way to obviate mitochondrial damage, slowing the process of aging itself.
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More recently, however, the conversation has turned to whether Trump’s early stumbles, and the tenuous nature of the political coalitions in Washington, will obviate his agenda.
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LITTLEFIELD: Off-grid power has had such a boom in recent years that in many cases that’s going to obviate the need for transmission grids to continue to be built.
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Le Bal creator Ophélie Renouard reports that the purpose of the debutante ball has evolved in recent years, with Facebook and Instagram obviating the need for formal introductions to society.
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Some lawmakers have been scrambling to try to obviate the veto rejection.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'obviate'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
Obviate derives from Late Latin obviare (meaning "to meet or withstand") and Latin obviam, which means "in the way" and is also an ancestor of our adjective "obvious." "Obviate" has a number of synonyms in English, including "prevent," "preclude," and "avert"; all of these words can mean to hinder or stop something. When you prevent or preclude something, you put up an insurmountable obstacle. In addition, "preclude" often implies that a degree of chance was involved in stopping an event. "Obviate" generally suggests the use of intelligence or forethought to ward off trouble. "Avert" always implies that a bad situation has been anticipated and prevented or deflected by the application of immediate and effective means.
Origin and Etymology of obviate
Late Latin obviatus, past participle of obviare to meet, withstand, from Latin obviam
OBVIATE Defined for English Language Learners
obviate
playDefinition of obviate for English Language Learners
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: to make (something) no longer necessary : to prevent or avoid (something)
Learn More about obviate
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See words that rhyme with obviate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for obviate Spanish Central: Translation of obviate Nglish: Translation of obviate for Spanish speakers
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