English Explanatory Dictionary

obtuse

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Blunt; not sharp, pointed, or acute in form.
  2. Blunt, or rounded at the extremity.
  3. Larger than one, and smaller than two right angles, equivalently more than 90° and less than 180°.
  4. Obtuse-angled, having an obtuse angle.
  5. Intellectually dull or dim-witted.
  6. Of sound, etc.: deadened, muffled, muted.
  7. Indirect or circuitous.
verb
  1. To dull or reduce an emotion or a physical state.

Pronunciation

/əbˈtjuːs/ /-ˈtʃuːs/ /əbˈt(j)us/ /ɑb-/ en-us-obtuse.ogg en-au-obtuse.ogg

Word forms

obtuse obtuser more obtuse obtusest most obtuse obtuses obtusing obtused

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.

Synonyms

obtuse-angled blunt dull dense dim dim-witted thick thickheaded deadened muffled

Antonyms

bright intelligent on the ball quick off the mark quick-witted sharp smart clear acute acute-angled pointed

Derived words

nonobtuse obtuse-angled triangle obtuse-angular obtuse horn shell obtusely obtuseness obtusish obtusity subobtuse unobtuse obtuse angle obtuse-angled obtuse barracuda obtuse demoulia obtuse margin obtuse sedge obtuse starwort obtuse triangle obtuse wattle

Translations

Bulgarian: тъп Chinese Mandarin: 鈍 /钝 Czech: tupý Esperanto: malakra Esperanto: stumpa Finnish: tylppä Finnish: tylsä Māori: hāpūpū Polish: rozwarty Portuguese: embotado Portuguese: obtuso Slovak: tupý Ottoman Turkish: كور Armenian: բութ Dutch: bot German: stumpf Greek: αμβλύς Macedonian: тап Russian: тупо́й Russian: притуплённый Spanish: obtuso Spanish: romo Swedish: trubbig Swedish: slö
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