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
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
The dismissals were compelled by twin obtuse opinions of the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) in the Department of Justice issued in 1973 and 2000.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 4 Dec. 2024
Hence the obtuse rabbis, the cowering Uncle Yasha, and, in Aliyah of the 1990s, the naked Russian woman, presumably a prostitute, presenting herself doggy-style.
—Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 5 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for obtuse
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
The dismissals were compelled by twin obtuse opinions of the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) in the Department of Justice issued in 1973 and 2000.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 4 Dec. 2024
Hence the obtuse rabbis, the cowering Uncle Yasha, and, in Aliyah of the 1990s, the naked Russian woman, presumably a prostitute, presenting herself doggy-style.
—Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 5 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for obtuse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obtuse
Adjective
-
Some policymakers have advocated for blunt price caps as a quick solution to escalating drug prices.—
Rita Numerof,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
-
Gone are the Davos power sheaths and blunt business bob from her time as White House senior adviser.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Ratajkowski has been fighting the stereotype of the dumb model from the beginning of her career.—
Daniel Jackson,
Allure,
18 July 2017
-
Ninety nine percent of all NFL players are explicitly not dumb.—
Andy Benoit,
The MMQB,
10 July 2017
Adjective
-
No Broward program can possibly be as wasteful and downright stupid as the Office of Election Crimes and Security (OECS).—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Aug. 2025
-
This sounds very stupid, but there’s an idea in my mind.—
David Mack,
Vulture,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Three organic meats are on offer for Sunday roast: slow roasted Black Angus, with creamed horseradish; succulent Tamworth Pork with bramley apple sauce and Texel Lamb with a classic mint sauce.—
Joanne Shurvell,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
-
Burrow hopes that feeling the rush and gaining real reps working the pocket will help lessen the impact of opening-week clunkers that contributed to the team’s slow starts.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The recycled leather lanyard adds to its convenience and simple, timeless style.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
16 Aug. 2025
-
In North Carolina, Republicans are a few votes shy of a supermajority in one chamber but still control the redistricting process because the state’s congressional maps are not subject to veto and therefore can be passed by a simple majority in the legislature.—
Elena Shao,
New York Times,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Each Jesse & Ben’s fry is three-eights of an inch thick.—
Andrew Watman,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Rare models like a two-door Runabout might push $50K. Along with help from Jeff Humble, president of the Northern Michigan Ts (the local Model T club), Dean trained himself to drive the Model T using an original owner’s manual as thick as Manhattan’s phone book.—
The Detroit News,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Open star clusters typically reside in the dense spiral arms of the Milky Way, where the gravity of passing stars can tug at their outermost members, pulling them apart over the course of millions of years.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
17 Aug. 2025
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In extremely dense fog where visibility is near zero, the best course of action is to first turn on your hazard lights, then simply pull into a safe location such as a parking lot of a local business, and stop.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Joe is willfully ignorant—to national news and a lethal pandemic—but Aster didn’t write the character as a one-dimensional MAGA standee.—
Madison Bloom,
Pitchfork,
17 July 2025
-
Yet Americans are surprisingly ignorant about our past.—
John C. Goodman,
Forbes.com,
29 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obtuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obtuse. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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