US /əbˈt(j)us/ UK /əbˈtjuːs/
adj Freq #36449

Meanings

  1. 1
    adj

    lacking in insight or discernment

    You are too obtuse to grasp the implications of your own behavior.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 adj · lacking in insight or... purblind
Word family
Forms obtuseness
Derived forms nonobtuseobtuse-angularobtuselyobtusenessobtusishobtusitysubobtuseunobtuse

Etymology

From Middle English obtuse, from Latin obtūsus (“blunt, dull; obtuse”), past participle of obtundere, from obtundō (“to batter, beat, strike; to blunt, dull”), from ob- (“against”) (see ob-) + tundō (“to beat, strike; to bruise, crush, pound”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewd-, from *(s)tew- (“to hit; to push”)). More at obtund.

View etymology graph ->

Topics

markdown

Send feedback

Optional — only if you'd like a reply.