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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of obtuse
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
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
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
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
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Erasure is sometimes too blunt a word for what happens to a literary life.
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Patton Veterinary Hospital was blunt on its website.
Adjective
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Though Cady has made some gestures toward helping the Bowdens, like his behind-the-scenes effort to get one of Anna’s death-row clients exonerated last week, Tom and Anna should not be so dumb as to ignore his ulterior motives.
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The entire plot to get to the bones seems incredibly dumb.
Adjective
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The results have been impressive enough from far away, but examined more closely as a blunted, external force, Big Brother has almost always been too literal in horror cinema.
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Orientation matters; garlic is planted vertically, with the root (blunted) end of the clove facing down, and the sprout (pointy) end facing up.
Adjective
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But even the most perfect Constitution can be undone by the wicked with the help of the bought, the stupid, and the cowardly.
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White can believe Hokit said something stupid and still believe fighters should be allowed to speak for themselves.
Adjective
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What to expect over the weekend Though Friday was expected to be the slowest day of the competition, the atmosphere at Cal Expo was anything but dull.
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Some residents are calling for civilian volunteers to help clear debris, frustrated by the slow pace of the rescue operations.
Adjective
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The questions Campbell needs to answer are simple.
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Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple.
Adjective
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Measuring less than a millimeter thick, this sensor basically acts like a neuron in our brain, processing and keeping the information even after the original signal is gone.
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ZDNet Korea also reported that the Wide Fold uses 60μm ultra-thin glass on its inner display, 30% thicker than the 45μm used on the Z Fold 8 Ultra.
Adjective
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More memory, denser racks, faster deployment The new server promises 50 percent more memory per socket and more GPU memory compared to the previous generation.
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For ultimate comfort, the loveseat and chairs also include dense foam cushions wrapped in smooth polyester.
Cite this Entry
“Obtuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obtuse. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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