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 stupid
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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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
But the Dunne character’s binary, psychologically obtuse way of talking about survivors of abuse, essentially arguing that minutely observing their behavior can help adjudicate the truth of their claims, isn’t limited to his perspective as one character.
—Alessa Dominguez, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2024
For each subtle, smart decision in one regard, there’s a glaring, obtuse decision elsewhere, which ultimately makes an adaptation that should broaden Taddeo’s audience into a series that may only be fully appreciated by those who’ve also read the book.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 13 Sep. 2024
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
But the Dunne character’s binary, psychologically obtuse way of talking about survivors of abuse, essentially arguing that minutely observing their behavior can help adjudicate the truth of their claims, isn’t limited to his perspective as one character.
—Alessa Dominguez, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2024
For each subtle, smart decision in one regard, there’s a glaring, obtuse decision elsewhere, which ultimately makes an adaptation that should broaden Taddeo’s audience into a series that may only be fully appreciated by those who’ve also read the book.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 13 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for obtuse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obtuse
Adjective
-
They were forced to their knees and guards shaved their heads and faces with blunt swoops of an electric razor.—
Josh Meyer,
USA TODAY,
22 Mar. 2025
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Varley’s grip, her taut observation of nerve-wracking isolation, loosens and the film devolves into a blunt and clichéd consideration of family.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
The Hollywood Reporter,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
His is a sort of erudite buffoonery that consistently tap-dances between clever, self-aware, and patently stupid.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2025
-
Each of them loses track of a CD filled with secrets, and some end up dying in the stupidest possible ways because of their incompetence.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Ratajkowski has been fighting the stereotype of the dumb model from the beginning of her career.—
Daniel Jackson,
Allure,
18 July 2017
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Ninety nine percent of all NFL players are explicitly not dumb.—
Andy Benoit,
The MMQB,
10 July 2017
Adjective
-
Don’t confuse grilling with smoking though—the basic difference is smoking is a slow process where food is cooked at low temperatures for a long period while grilling requires high heat applied over a short burst of time.—
Carrie Honaker,
Southern Living,
19 Mar. 2025
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It’s also been growing other divisions like digital services and wearables over the last decade to help offset general periods of slow iPhone sales.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Pair them with a simple T-shirt to grab a coffee at a cafe.—
Rylee Johnston,
Travel + Leisure,
23 Mar. 2025
-
Jenner wore a gray and lightly checked car coat, a simple black knit sweater, straight leg blue jeans, and black ballet flats.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Unfortunately, last April’s total solar eclipse was a bust for me, and the U.K.’s weather tends to be uncooperative for celestial events, often hiding them behind thick clouds.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
29 Mar. 2025
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The open-faced turkey sandwich, traditionally served warm on a thick slice of toast with bacon, tomatoes, and Mornay sauce, is a headliner on the Bluegrass State’s long list of culinary contributions.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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That hypothetical journey would have faced formidable obstacles including mountains, rivers and dense forests, and may have taken about eight months.—
Richard Grant,
Smithsonian Magazine,
24 Mar. 2025
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In extremely dense fog where visibility is near zero, the best course of action is to first turn on your hazard lights, then simply pull into a safe location such as a parking lot of a local business, and stop.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacramento Bee,
24 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Another director might have shied away from such minutiae or worse, be completely ignorant of them.—
Josh Weiss,
Forbes,
17 Mar. 2025
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Consider that Mahmoud Khalil, an anti-war protester and recent graduate of Columbia University, was arrested on a Saturday night by ICE agents who appeared ignorant of his status as a legal U.S. resident and his rights thereof.—
Nisha Whitehead,
Orange County Register,
16 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obtuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obtuse. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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