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obtuseness

noun

Definition of obtusenessnext
as in dumbness
the quality or state of lacking intelligence or quickness of mind our guest's obtuseness was such that he failed to take even the broadest hint that it was time to leave

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for obtuseness
  1. dumbness
  2. stupidness
  3. slowness
  4. thickness
  5. stupidity
  6. dullness
  7. boneheadedness
  8. mindlessness
Noun
  • The first 10 minutes are an incredible swirl of paranoia, alcoholism, and sluggish dumbness when Gould just needs to feed his cat.
    — Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026
  • Unlike its sibling concepts of dumbness and idiocy, stupidity isn’t really a personality trait.
    — Jonny Thomson, Big Think, 11 Feb. 2026
Definition of dumbness
Noun
  • In an email to Krebs, Valadon claimed that the repo’s commit logs show that GitHub’s default protections against committing secrets—protections designed to protect unwitting or unskilled developers against exactly this kind of stupidness—had been disabled by the repo’s administrator.
    — Lee Hutchinson, ArsTechnica, 19 May 2026
Definition of stupidness
Noun
  • This will mean increased overhead and slowness in deployment but will require sourcing leaders to shift their focus from efficiency to aligning AI to risk mitigation in end-to-end supply chain networks.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The slowness certainly hasn’t been for a lack of effort from either side this summer.
    — Pierre LeBrun, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of slowness
Noun
  • MILKist introduced the original recipe, but the women helped test thicknesses, drying methods, natural-color applications and other changes based on how each sheet would be used.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Try to remove about half the thickness of the previous grout.
    — Michelle Mastro, The Spruce, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of thickness
Noun
  • Nerdiest song for drummers This will probably come down to stupidity.
    — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
  • This stupidity is tantamount to a cop issuing a summons to someone picking their nose in public to prove that crime is out of control.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of stupidity
Noun
  • Even when used on its own, bleach is incredibly harsh and can strip your floors’ finish, leaving it vulnerable to damage, discoloration, and dullness over time.
    — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Sep. 2026
  • This wrapping mask is formulated with quintessential K-beauty ingredients like milk protein, collagen, and niacinamide, plus glutathione, a powerhouse ingredient my skin loves for preventing environmental damage, discoloration, and overall dullness.
    — Essence Wiley, InStyle, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of dullness
Noun
  • The pressure brought forth both boneheadedness and brilliance.
    — The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2025
Definition of boneheadedness
Noun
  • There’s the White House and its malicious megaphone of mindlessness; the generative AI advocates and their pushy, pathetic ploys; the Major League Baseball owners and their dedication to self-destruction.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 20 Feb. 2026
  • The show’s real villain is mindlessness, in other words.
    — Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2026
Definition of mindlessness
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

obtuse
obtuseness
obverse
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Obtuseness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obtuseness. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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