1
as in blunt
lacking sharpness of edge or point
obtuse scissors designed so that young users will not cut themselves
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dumb
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily
forgive me for being obtuse, but I wish you'd explain that to me again
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Recent Examples of obtuse
Nevala-Lee’s previous biography was on Buckminster Fuller, architect, futurist, longtime professor at Southern Illinois University, but also an infamously obtuse, inscrutable mansplainer’s mansplainer — his lectures seemed to go on for days.
—
Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2025
Hours are wasted sifting through open roles, tweaking cover letters, dealing with obtuse recruiters—and that’s all before you get started with potential interviews.
—Matt Burgess, Wired News, 7 Aug. 2025
Turning it into a cheap conceit to blast a political opponent is both obtuse and shameful, and only serves to bolster those who would downplay the terrors of Hitler’s reign.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 15 June 2025
Instead, the show morphed into a thudding retread of SATC with weaker, more diluted storytelling/joke-telling and an obtuse obsession with flaunting its characters’ seemingly infinite riches.
—Robyn Bahr, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for obtuse
Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2025
Hours are wasted sifting through open roles, tweaking cover letters, dealing with obtuse recruiters—and that’s all before you get started with potential interviews.
—Matt Burgess, Wired News, 7 Aug. 2025
Turning it into a cheap conceit to blast a political opponent is both obtuse and shameful, and only serves to bolster those who would downplay the terrors of Hitler’s reign.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 15 June 2025
Instead, the show morphed into a thudding retread of SATC with weaker, more diluted storytelling/joke-telling and an obtuse obsession with flaunting its characters’ seemingly infinite riches.
—Robyn Bahr, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for obtuse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obtuse
Adjective
-
The French bob Chin length and with blunt-ish ends, the French bob gives fine hair natural movement and texture.—
Fiona Embleton,
Glamour,
6 Mar. 2026
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Causes of death are almost infinite, Harding noted — gunshot wounds, heart attack, illness, blunt force trauma.—
Shannon Tyler
March 6,
Idaho Statesman,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Telling the story this way elides, smooths over, and underestimates the role of circumstance and dumb luck.—
Charles Yu,
The Atlantic,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Advertisement This strategy was tried in the dumb-bomb era.—
Richard Hall,
Time,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Orientation matters; garlic is planted vertically, with the root (blunted) end of the clove facing down, and the sprout (pointy) end facing up.—
Samantha Johnson,
Martha Stewart,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Flat, calm but earnest, mildly anxious, blunted, volatile.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
End these stupid, senseless wars.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Most of the films that came after are ridiculous and stupid.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Council members LaWana Slack-Mayfield, Malcolm Graham and Joi Mayo, whose west Charlotte District 3 contains most of the affected part of I-77, pressed the agency on its slow responses to their questions, asked in November, shortly after NCDOT released its maps for the first time.—
Nick Sullivan,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Mar. 2026
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The jokes and musical bits are amusing but not groundbreaking, and the story is too light and slow to have a real impact.—
Rachel Simon,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Engineers have developed a simple strategy to help robots remain stable while repairing satellites in orbit by using a second robotic arm to counterbalance movements.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Mar. 2026
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Don’t be afraid to suggest budget caps for group plans, because everyone relaxes when guidelines are simple and visible.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Looking for a thicker platform?—
Sophie Dodd,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
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His house sits across from what used to be a thick copse of woods.—
Liam Rappleye,
Freep.com,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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If not eaten immediately, the lovely creaminess becomes a dense pile of goop with no hope of Cinderella-ing itself back to a luxurious state.—
Nina Moskowitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
10 Mar. 2026
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And in between the mammals is an even denser profusion of bird life.—
Tom Vanderbilt,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obtuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obtuse. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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