Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

obtuse

[uhb-toos, -tyoos]

Origin

adjective

not quick or alert in perception, feeling, or intellect; not sensitive or observant; dull.

not sharp, acute, or pointed; blunt in form.

(of a leaf, petal, etc.) rounded at the extremity.

indistinctly felt or perceived, as pain or sound.

Origin:
1500–10; < Latin obtūsus dulled (past participle of obtundere), equivalent to ob- ob- + tūd-, variant stem of tundere to beat + -tus past participle suffix, with dt > s

Related forms

ob·tuse·ly, adverb

ob·tuse·ness, noun

sub·ob·tuse, adjective

sub·ob·tuse·ly, adverb

sub·ob·tuse·ness, noun

Can be confused: abstruse, obtuse.

Synonyms
1. unfeeling, tactless, insensitive; blind, imperceptive, unobservant; gauche, boorish; slow, dim.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source

Link To Obtuse

00:10

00:09

00:08

00:07

00:06

00:05

00:04

00:03

00:02

00:01

Obtuse is an SAT word you need to know.

So is nebulous. Does it mean:

wealth, riches, or affluence

hazy, vague, indistinct, or confused; cloudy or cloudlike

LEARN MORE SAT WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Collins

World English Dictionary

obtuse (əbˈtjuːs)

—*adj*
1.	mentally slow or emotionally insensitive
2.	maths
	a. (of an angle) lying between 90° and 180°
	b. (of a triangle) having one interior angle greater than 90°
3.	not sharp or pointed
4.	indistinctly felt, heard, etc; dull: obtuse pain
5.	(of a leaf or similar flat part) having a rounded or blunt tip

[C16: from Latin obtūsus dulled, past participle of obtundere to beat down; see obtund]

ob'tusely

—*adv*

ob'tuseness

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

obtuse

c.1500, from M.Fr. obtus (fem. obtuse), from L. obtusus "blunted, dull," pp. of obtundere "to beat against, make dull," from ob "against" + tundere "to beat," from PIE *(s)tud- "to beat, strike, push, thrust" (cf. L. tudes "hammer," Skt. tudati "he thrusts"). Sense of "stupid" is first found c.1500.

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

obtuse ob·tuse (ŏb-t&oomacr;s', -ty&oomacr;s', əb-)
adj.

Lacking quickness of perception or intellect.
Not sharp or acute; blunt.

ob·tuse'ness n.

Partners:Word Bloglines Citysearch The Daily Beast Ask Answers Ask Kids Life123 Sendori Thesaurus

About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help