Dictionary Definition
obtuse adj
1 of an angle; between 90 and 180 degrees [ant:
acute]
2 of a leaf shape; rounded at the apex
3 lacking in insight or discernment; "too obtuse
to grasp the implications of his behavior"; "a purblind oligarchy
that flatly refused to see that history was condemning it to the
dustbin"- Jasper Griffin [syn: purblind]
4 slow to learn or understand; lacking
intellectual acuity; "so dense he never understands anything I say
to him"; "never met anyone quite so dim"; "although dull at
classical learning, at mathematics he was uncommonly quick"-
Thackeray; "dumb officials make some really dumb decisions"; "he
was either normally stupid or being deliberately obtuse"; "worked
with the slow students" [syn: dense, dim, dull, dumb, slow]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -uːs
Adjective
- Intellectually dull or dim-witted.
- Indirect or circuitous.
- Of sound: deadened or muffled.
- Blunt; not sharp.
- Of an angle: greater than 90 degrees but less than 180 degrees.
- Of a triangle: with one obtuse angle.
Synonyms
- (intellectually dull): dense, dim, dim-witted, thick (informal)
- (of a sound): deadened, muffled
- (blunt): blunt, dull
- (of a triangle): obtuse-angled
Antonyms
- (intellectually dull): bright, intelligent, on the ball, quick off the mark, quick-witted, sharp, smart
- (of a sound): clear
- (blunt): pointed, sharp
- (of an angle): acute
- (of a triangle): acute, acute-angled
Translations
intellectually dull
- Finnish: hidasjärkinen, hidasälyinen, tylsämielinen
- German: begriffsstutzig, beschränkt
- Swedish: trög, slö
of a sound
of an angle
of a triangle See obtuse-angled
French
Adjective
- Form of feminine, obtus
Extensive Definition
Obtuse may refer to:
- Obtuse angle, an angle of between 90 and 180 degrees
- Obtuse triangle, a triangle with an internal angle of between 90 and 180 degrees
- leaf shape
- Lacking sharpness or quickness of sensibility
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
abrupt,
affectless, anesthetized, arctic, asleep, autistic, benumbed, bluff, blunt, blunt-edged, blunt-ended,
blunt-pointed, blunt-witted, blunted, bluntish, boneheaded, callous, catatonic, chill, chilly, cloddish, cold, cold as charity,
cold-blooded, coldhearted, cool, dead, deadened, dense, dim, dim-witted, dispassionate, doltish, dopey, drugged, dull, dull of mind, dull-edged,
dull-headed, dull-pated, dull-pointed, dull-witted, dulled, dullish, edgeless, emotionally dead,
emotionless,
faired, fat-witted,
frigid, frosted, frosty, frozen, gross-headed, heartless, heavy, hebetudinous, icy, immovable, impassible, impassive, imperceptive, impercipient, inexcitable, insensate, insensible, insensitive, insentient, insusceptible, loutish, lumpish, mentally retarded,
nonemotional,
numb, numbed, oafish, obdurate, objective, out of touch,
passionless,
pointless, rounded, self-absorbed, simple, slow, slow-witted, sluggish, smoothed, soulless, spiritless, stolid, thick, thick-brained,
thick-headed, thick-pated, thick-skinned, thick-witted, thickheaded, thickskulled, unaffectionate, unedged, unemotional, unfeeling, unfelt, unimpassioned, unimpressionable,
unloving, unpassionate, unperceptive, unpointed, unresponding, unresponsive, unsharp, unsharpened, unsusceptible, unsympathetic, untouchable, wooden