obtuse

[ uhb-toos, -tyoos ]

adj.slow to understand
adj.blunt, not sharp

Synonyms for obtuse

MOST RELEVANT

Antonyms for obtuse

Word Origin & History

early 15c., "dull, blunted," from Middle French obtus (fem. obtuse), from Latin obtusus "blunted, dull," also used figuratively, past participle of obtundere "to beat against, make dull," from ob "against" (see ob-) + tundere "to beat," from PIE *(s)tud-e- "to beat, strike, push, thrust," from root *(s)teu- "to push, stick, knock, beat" (cf. Latin tudes "hammer," Sanskrit tudati "he thrusts"). Sense of "stupid" is first found c.1500. Related: Obtusely; obtuseness.

Example Sentences forobtuse

I know the people of this City: they are ignorant, obtuse, fanatical, 313 blind.

Nothing but the most obtuse vanity could ever have induced Bozzy to publish all this.

The characters are taken very lightly, but at least they are not obtuse and awkward.

The fourth glume is as long as the third, ovate, obtuse, paleate.

The first glume is shorter than the second, ovate, obtuse, 7- to 9-nerved.

The first glume is oblong, obtuse, winged on one side only, 5-nerved.

The third glume is hyaline, narrow-oblong, ciliate and obtuse.

The third glume is hyaline, thin, oblong, obtuse and nerveless.

The second glume is as long as the first hyaline, oblong and obtuse.

The fat man looked from one to the other of us in an obtuse suspicion of our hilarity.

obtuse

blunt

blunter

crass

crassest

dense

obtuse

More words related to obtuse

blockheaded

blunt

blunter

crass

crassest

dense