1
as in blunt
lacking sharpness of edge or point
obtuse scissors designed so that young users will not cut themselves
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dumb
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily
forgive me for being obtuse, but I wish you'd explain that to me again
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of obtuse
See the previous discussion of economists, and their horridly obtuse belief that war grows the economy.
—
John Tamny, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
The dismissals were compelled by twin obtuse opinions of the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) in the Department of Justice issued in 1973 and 2000.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 4 Dec. 2024
Hence the obtuse rabbis, the cowering Uncle Yasha, and, in Aliyah of the 1990s, the naked Russian woman, presumably a prostitute, presenting herself doggy-style.
—Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 5 Oct. 2024
Monster Hunter Wilds, released in February of this year, is another example of a series that changed its arcade-y spirit for a more photo mode-worthy presentation, while streamlining the obtuse friction that the original games were known for.
—Diego Argüello, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obtuse
John Tamny, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
The dismissals were compelled by twin obtuse opinions of the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) in the Department of Justice issued in 1973 and 2000.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 4 Dec. 2024
Hence the obtuse rabbis, the cowering Uncle Yasha, and, in Aliyah of the 1990s, the naked Russian woman, presumably a prostitute, presenting herself doggy-style.
—Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 5 Oct. 2024
Monster Hunter Wilds, released in February of this year, is another example of a series that changed its arcade-y spirit for a more photo mode-worthy presentation, while streamlining the obtuse friction that the original games were known for.
—Diego Argüello, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obtuse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obtuse
Adjective
-
In other words — not to be too blunt about it — employers took responsibility for training their workers to work for them.—
Amy Lindgren,
Twin Cities,
5 July 2025
-
The man identified as Moore-Hodges walked away from the park around 3:50 a.m. According to the complaint, an autopsy on June 30 affirmed the victim died of multiple blunt force injuries to his head and neck.—
Ariela Lopez,
jsonline.com,
4 July 2025
Adjective
-
Ratajkowski has been fighting the stereotype of the dumb model from the beginning of her career.—
Daniel Jackson,
Allure,
18 July 2017
-
Ninety nine percent of all NFL players are explicitly not dumb.—
Andy Benoit,
The MMQB,
10 July 2017
Adjective
-
Instead, the series seems determined to prove that age is just a number by forcing its leads, now including Choudhury and Parker, to act as if 50 is the new (and very stupid) 30.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 July 2025
-
Jurassic Park, based on the Michael Crichton best-seller, is an evolutionary joke: Man, the master of the universe, has become mere flesh, consumed by animals allegedly too stupid to survive.—
David Denby,
Vulture,
3 July 2025
Adjective
-
Now, in the new study, researchers have gathered data that supports the theory that the demise of tropical forests, and their slow recovery, limited carbon sequestration – a process where carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and held in plants, soils or minerals.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
5 July 2025
-
The whales often appear unbothered, turning gently toward swimmers or drifting by in slow, graceful passes.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
5 July 2025
Adjective
-
Nearby is the kitchen, which is compact and simple as standard.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
11 July 2025
-
Chris wore a simple navy blue polo shirt and khaki shorts combo, while Alexa showed off her growing bump in a white and blue floral dress — along with an Olympic logo necklace to complete her maternity style.—
Kayla Grant,
People.com,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
Back inside, the primary suite carries on the adobe style with thick, smooth walls and rounded edges.—
Demetrius Simms,
Robb Report,
14 July 2025
-
The three-day Tampa conference was thick with criticism of DOJ and disbelief that the president could have let so many people down.—
Shelby Talcott,
semafor.com,
14 July 2025
Adjective
-
Where the Earth has a dense atmosphere, abundant water and life, Mars is a desiccated, lifeless world where even the prospects of finding fossil bacteria are a long shot.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
12 July 2025
-
In the photo, the orange-brown tiers represent stardust, while small patches represent seemingly vacant zones that indicate the presence of dense foreground filaments of dust that are home to still-forming stars, astronomers said.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
Consequently, many of those enslaved in Texas remained ignorant of the proclamation’s potential impact on their lives, or of the fact the Civil War had functionally ended two months earlier.—
Timothy Welbeck,
The Conversation,
16 June 2025
-
Careless or ignorant reporting has obscured objective reality.—
Nicholas DiMarzio,
New York Daily News,
13 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obtuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obtuse. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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