1
as in blunt
lacking sharpness of edge or point
obtuse scissors designed so that young users will not cut themselves
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of obtuse
There would be no obtuse angles; the idea was to maintain a feeling of innocence, like that of a child opening a toy for the first time.
—
Stephania Taladrid, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2025
The Monkey is a source of constant obtuse dialogue and characters that exist only for the cheapest comic relief.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 7 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for obtuse
Stephania Taladrid, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2025
The Monkey is a source of constant obtuse dialogue and characters that exist only for the cheapest comic relief.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 7 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for obtuse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obtuse
Adjective
-
Autopsy results revealed that Morin had endured 15 to 20 blows to the head and had died from a combination of strangulation and blunt force trauma.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Not to be blunt, but there’s really no good excuse to skip SPF application, regardless of your skin tone or skin type.—
Catharine Malzahn,
Glamour,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Friendships built on insecurity, where men constantly have to prove their manhood, are a breeding ground for toxic attitudes and stupid decision-making.—
Terry Ward,
CNN Money,
13 Apr. 2025
-
Also, his team told him over the radio, basically, don’t do anything stupid, Nato is going to be penalized for not using all his Attack Mode.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
12 Apr. 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
-
The building Celine now occupies what used to be a slow pop-up for Dior and Loro Piana.—
Tianwei Zhang,
Footwear News,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Of the slow, unsexy work of loving someone even in the worst times.—
Ruhama Wolle,
Glamour,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Will people be more open and accept that a simple, inexpensive date isn’t the sign of low effort but rather a reflection of the economy none of us asked for?—
Myisha Battle,
Time,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Its second life on streaming has guided new viewers to the simple charms of one of the best mystery shows of all time.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
This beautiful Easter garland, on sale for $79.99 at Wayfair, is opulent and thick with twigs and pastel eggs that run throughout.—
Nora Colomer,
FOXNews.com,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Twangy bass lines thick enough to saw down a redwood tree are shredded with shivers of electric guitar to create a blues sound that cuts a hole straight through the decades.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
This layer also contains Earth’s oceanic crust — a thinner and denser layer below the oceans — and the continental crust that sits above this layer.—
Taylor Nicioli,
CNN Money,
18 Apr. 2025
-
The good news As solar cycle 25 is set to weaken soon, the high-energy proton soup around the planet will soon get denser again.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
But Slingshot’s breach of contract suit alleges that Angel continually broke provisions of their agreement, and sometimes seemed entirely ignorant of them.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
9 Apr. 2025
-
Naturally, this poor woman is ignorant of her friend Susan’s role in her granddaughter’s disappearance.—
Chris Klimek,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obtuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obtuse. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share