obviate

verb

ob·vi·ate ˈäb-vē-ˌāt

obviated; obviating

Synonyms of obviate next

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.

obviation

ˌäb-vē-ˈā-shən

noun

Did you know?

Obviate derives from the Late Latin obviare (meaning "to meet or withstand") and the Latin obviam (meaning "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.

Example Sentences

The new medical treatment obviates the need for surgery. The new treatment obviates many of the risks associated with surgery.

Recent Examples on the Web Payment would be viewed as blood money, an atonement to wash away German sins – and, of course, nothing could ever obviate the evil of the Third Reich. —

Rabbi Avi Weiss, Sun Sentinel, 23 Jan. 2023 The right mechanism — the right hinge, or connection, or pivot — could elegantly obviate the need for more cumbersome, clunkier, moving parts. —

Stephen Ornes, Discover Magazine, 14 Nov. 2020 The simplest way to obviate this problem is to have the debt limit law declared unconstitutional, since the constitution says that the US debt cannot be interfered with. —

Theodoric Meyer, Washington Post, 13 Jan. 2023 But, this more detailed look at a genomic sequence does not necessarily obviate the need for higher level categories, such as race. —

Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 9 Feb. 2011 There’s no other body that can obviate state laws except Congress. —

Dallas News, 1 Aug. 2022 This case report highlights the importance of focused history taking of patients which can thereby obviate the need for further investigations. —

Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 10 Nov. 2017 Even the best-case scenario for the new loss and damage fund doesn’t obviate the need for deeper reforms of the international system, particularly the IMF and World Bank. —

Kate Aronoff, The New Republic, 22 Nov. 2022 There’s still plenty of space in this vision for private businesses online, just as coffee shops don’t obviate the need for parks and bookstores don’t remove the need for libraries. —

WIRED, 28 Oct. 2022 See More

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.