Synonyms of obtuse

obtuse

adjective

äb-ˈtüs 

1

as in blunt

lacking sharpness of edge or point

obtuse scissors designed so that young users will not cut themselves

Synonyms & Similar Words

• blunt
• blunted
• dull
• dulled
• flattened
• rounded
• smooth
• dullish
• level
• even
• flat

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sharp
• pointed
• edgy
• keen
• edged
• ground
• jagged
• cutting
• honed
• spiky
• sharpened
• prickly
• spiny
• needlelike
• spiked
• scratching
• piercing
• spikelike
• whetted
• lacerating
• stabbing
• jabbing
• ultrasharp

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dumb
• stupid
• slow
• simple
• thick
• dense
• ignorant
• dull
• idiotic
• foolish
• thickheaded
• unintelligent
• fatuous
• opaque
• vacuous
• doltish
• dopey
• silly
• boneheaded
• irrational
• brain-dead
• unreasonable
• witless
• soft
• dim
• oafish
• bonehead
• mindless
• brainless
• insane
• senseless
• dunderheaded
• dorky
• weak-minded
• mad
• dim-witted
• pinheaded
• gormless
• crazy
• slow-witted
• lamebrain
• empty-headed
• moronic
• thick-witted
• airheaded
• lunkheaded
• knuckleheaded
• softheaded
• chuckleheaded
• half-witted
• absurd
• unsmart
• bubbleheaded
• simpleminded
• cretinous
• uninformed
• imbecile
• birdbrained
• uneducated
• feebleminded
• unintellectual
• unthinking
• illogical
• illiterate
• asinine
• nonsensical
• fool
• untaught
• zany
• lowbrow
• wacky
• daft
• dippy
• daffy
• preposterous
• loony
• unwise
• nutty
• kooky
• cuckoo
• fallacious
• sappy
• invalid
• harebrained
• screwball
• dotty
• cockeyed
• crackpot
• balmy
• half-baked
• boobish
• tomfool
• featherheaded

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• intelligent
• brilliant
• clever
• sharp
• apt
• acute
• quick
• smart
• bright
• ingenious
• keen
• nimble
• fast
• resourceful
• wise
• astute
• insightful
• perceptive
• cerebral
• thinking
• sagacious
• intellectual
• savvy
• erudite
• knowing
• brainy
• knowledgeable
• keen
• discerning
• literate
• skilled
• quick-witted
• scholarly
• learned
• sharp-witted
• perspicacious
• sage
• informed
• cunning
• educated
• ultrasmart
• shrewd
• hyperintelligent
• supersmart
• reasonable
• wily
• sound
• trained
• sensible
• logical
• sapient
• highbrow
• crafty
• rational
• percipient
• valid
• prudent
• judicious
• sane
• well-read
• schooled
• foxy

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective obtuse differ from other similar words?

The words blunt and dull are common synonyms of obtuse. While all three words mean "not sharp, keen, or acute," obtuse implies such bluntness as makes one insensitive in perception or imagination.

too obtuse to take the hint

When might blunt be a better fit than obtuse?

The synonyms blunt and obtuse are sometimes interchangeable, but blunt suggests an inherent lack of sharpness or quickness of feeling or perception.

a person of blunt sensibility

When is it sensible to use dull instead of obtuse?

The words dull and obtuse are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, dull suggests a lack or loss of keenness, zest, or pungency.

a dull pain

a dull mind

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of obtuse

Chaikesh learned to conceptualize and think of AI not as a black box (as in, an obtuse system where users can’t follow its internal logic) but as a discipline grounded in clarity and fundamentals. — Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025

And suggesting that Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed should be on a Ryder Cup team in 2025 is both willfully obtuse and indicative of a person looking back, not forward. — Hugh Kellenberger, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025

Looking to boost Hispanic voter engagement, in the spring of the election year, Obama ignored Congress and took a constitutionally obtuse executive action shielding immigrants who came to the United States illegally as minors from deportation. — Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 19 Aug. 2025

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

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