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
Alfie, who’s either being willfully obtuse or radically uncompromising, sees nothing sacrilegious in Wilde’s one-act tragedy.
—
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2025
Instead, Zannier preserved existing vegetation and engineered against erosion—environmental consciousness that makes neighboring resorts look positively obtuse by comparison.
—Paul Jebara, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
See the previous discussion of economists, and their horridly obtuse belief that war grows the economy.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
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
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2025
Instead, Zannier preserved existing vegetation and engineered against erosion—environmental consciousness that makes neighboring resorts look positively obtuse by comparison.
—Paul Jebara, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
See the previous discussion of economists, and their horridly obtuse belief that war grows the economy.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
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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Leslie had been discovered deceased in her upstairs bathroom, with the autopsy listing her official cause of death as blunt force trauma.—
Claire Lempert,
ABC News,
12 Sep. 2025
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By reintroducing the War title, the Administration is sending a blunt message and in cyberspace, America is not only defending but also going on the offensive.—
Emil Sayegh,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Napier got a one-year honeymoon until a Week 1 loss at Utah in 2023, the year when the Gators committed a silly amount of dumb penalties (including the original instance of two guys wearing the same jersey).—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
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The reigning Super Bowl champs better hope that’s the dumbest thing that one of their players does this season.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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And when Sam cooks up a truly stupid scheme to make some quick cash, there’s little doubt a heavy like Mickey isn’t going to like it.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
12 Sep. 2025
-
There's a fine line between stupid and clever, indeed.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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During the prelims in Tokyo, Seville had a concerning slow reaction to the starting gun.—
Katelyn Hutchison,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Parisian servers may have an undeserved reputation for being slow, but instead of complaining or searching for faster service elsewhere, settle in with a book or newspaper.—
Lane Nieset,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Their simple plan goes awry when one of their relatives wants a posh Korean wedding banquet in the heartfelt romantic comedy.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
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The inspiration The Copleys wanted a low-water garden that would be simple to care for.—
Caron Golden,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The polished sateen set boasts a thick border in six color combinations to wake up a bedroom.—
Nashia Baker,
Architectural Digest,
10 Sep. 2025
-
To serve, top with thick, creamy Greek yogurt and vibrant fruits of choice, like raspberries, mangoes and blueberries.—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Goldens typically have longer, wavier coats, while Labs have shorter, dense double coats.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
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Available in just about every color of the rainbow, the flower heads range from tight buttons and dense domes to soft, feathery blooms.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The league might be skeptical that the Clippers were merely ignorant of the Aspiration-Leonard relationship and question why the team didn’t undertake more diligence.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Conversations that would’ve otherwise been fun and intellectually stimulating will start to feel childish and ignorant.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obtuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obtuse. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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