as in to prevent
to keep from happening by taking action in advance
brushing regularly should obviate the need for frequent trips to the dentist
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of obviate
New designs and operating methods are also obviating the noise that older-style centers once created.
—
Mehdi Paryavi,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Mar. 2026
The area vacated by that project — more than 30 acres — is large enough to build a new arena, obviating the need to tear down City Hall for that purpose.
—
Mark Lamster
architecture Critic,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Mar. 2026
Dan Lawrence’s son, Luke, piloting Ariel, which once belonged to the Roosevelts’ neighbor Archie Rogers, took the first heat, and then the second, obviating the need for a third.
—
Ben McGrath,
New Yorker,
23 Feb. 2026
Anthropic is supposed to be able to obviate what Workday does in human resources and finance.
—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for obviate
Mehdi Paryavi,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Mar. 2026
The area vacated by that project — more than 30 acres — is large enough to build a new arena, obviating the need to tear down City Hall for that purpose.
—
Mark Lamster
architecture Critic,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Mar. 2026
Dan Lawrence’s son, Luke, piloting Ariel, which once belonged to the Roosevelts’ neighbor Archie Rogers, took the first heat, and then the second, obviating the need for a third.
—
Ben McGrath,
New Yorker,
23 Feb. 2026
Anthropic is supposed to be able to obviate what Workday does in human resources and finance.
—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for obviate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obviate
Verb
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Nejat argues that his experience with Miller and his termination could have been prevented with the protection of a union.
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Segregation laws prevented Black students from integrating into Euless schools in 1950.
Verb
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The deal averts a ballot referendum that backers from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association said would’ve reigned in expansive local real estate taxes.
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The catastrophies that our heroine averts are awfully small potatoes — a bulldozer running amok, an amusement park ride speeding out of control, some prankish teenagers scheming to turn the girl’s shower into a steambath.
Verb
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The new agreement says commercial vessels can pass through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days without charge, but does not preclude future fees imposed by Iran.
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The new agreement says commercial vessels can pass through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days without a charge, but does not preclude future fees imposed by Iran.
Cite this Entry
“Obviate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obviate. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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