obtuse

adjective

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ob·tuse | \ äb-ˈtüs

, əb-, -ˈtyüs \

obtuser; obtusest

Definition of obtuse

1a : not pointed or acute : blunt

b(1) of an angle : exceeding 90 degrees but less than 180 degrees

(2) : having an obtuse angle an obtuse triangle — see triangle illustration

c of a leaf : rounded at the free end

2a : lacking sharpness or quickness of sensibility or intellect : insensitive, stupid He is too obtuse to take a hint.

b : difficult to comprehend : not clear or precise in thought or expression It is also, unfortunately, ill-written, and at times obtuse and often trivial.— Shirley Hazzard

Other Words from obtuse Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Obtuse vs. Abstruse More Example Sentences Learn More About obtuse

Choose the Right Synonym for obtuse

dull, blunt, obtuse mean not sharp, keen, or acute. dull suggests a lack or loss of keenness, zest, or pungency. a dull pain a dull mind blunt suggests an inherent lack of sharpness or quickness of feeling or perception. a person of blunt sensibility obtuse implies such bluntness as makes one insensitive in perception or imagination. too obtuse to take the hint

Examples of obtuse in a Sentence

Murdoch's art, like all good art, is highly structured and controlled—a house neat and clean enough to satisfy the most morally obtuse of her upper-class British characters. — Martha C. Nussbaum, New Republic, 31 Dec. 2001 & 7 Jan. 2002 Only the most obtuse missed the main message: humans risked so distorting the natural order that they were sentencing themselves to be destroyed by frost or furnace. — Joseph A. Amato, Dust, 2000 In fact, he was too obtuse even to realize that his assignment to Tejas was a demotion … — James A. Michener, Texas, 1985 … either he, and the other people in his shop, and two people I subsequently ask are incapable of giving directions, or I am too rattled and obtuse to follow them, but I cannot find the police station. — Renata Adler, Pitch Dark, 1983 He is too obtuse to take a hint. obtuse scissors designed so that young users will not cut themselves See More

Recent Examples on the Web Typically obtuse, Buzz misses a fairly important development on his fellow explorers’ adoptive planet, which is that it has been overtaken by an army of alien robots led by the hulking Zurg (James Brolin). — Kyle Smith, WSJ, 16 June 2022 This was an obtuse and unpoetic diktat, a showy way to miss the fact that a song’s history—its use over time, by real people, inspired by the exigencies of ritual and action—can inform its meaning more than its mere lyrics ever could. — Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 15 July 2022 The relocation to Italy eliminates Barb’s already infrequent voice and temporarily replaces Ethan’s narrative perspective with that of Izzy, a tour guide whose name was foreshadowed a couple times in Ethan’s obtuse recollections. — Cory Oldweiler, BostonGlobe.com, 14 July 2022 While not taking obtuse shots at J.D. Power's methods, in interviews its leadership would suggest the company's hard data, not colored by human perception or brand bias, was much more accurate than consumer surveys. — Ed Garsten, Forbes, 6 June 2022 In such light, Saban’s words are perhaps more obtuse than overtly offensive. — Roy S. Johnson | Rjohnson@al.com, al, 24 May 2022 Where Mungiu’s layered storytelling doesn’t quite work is in a finale so suggestive as to remain more or less obtuse, which is unfortunate because until then, R.M.N. was building toward something powerful. — Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 May 2022 Starting at an obtuse angle, such as 120 degrees, makes the exercise easier. — Hayden Carpenter, Outside Online, 21 May 2020 There's something obtuse about someone taking a savage glee in watching psychotics brutally murder dozens of people on T.V. — Anthony Venditti, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'obtuse.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.