Nov 4, 2011 · There’s a lot to understand about obtuse, so we’ll get straight to the point. Obtuse comes from a Latin word, obtusus, meaning “dull” or “blunt.”

Obtuse definition: not quick or alert in perception, feeling, or intellect; not sensitive or observant; dull.. See examples of OBTUSE used in a sentence.

OBTUSE definition: 1. (of an angle) more than 90° and less than 180° 2. stupid and slow to understand, or unwilling to…. Learn more.

Someone who is obtuse has difficulty understanding things, or makes no effort to understand them. I've really been very obtuse and stupid.

Define obtuse. obtuse synonyms, obtuse pronunciation, obtuse translation, English dictionary definition of obtuse. not quick or alert in perception, feeling, or intellect; dull, blunt, unfeeling, tactless, …

Oct 8, 2025 · obtuse (comparative obtuser or more obtuse, superlative obtusest or most obtuse) (now chiefly botany, zoology) Blunt; not sharp, pointed, or acute in form. quotations

The adjective obtuse literally means "rounded" or "blunt," but when it's used for a person, it means "not quick or alert in perception" — in other words, not the sharpest tool in the shed.

Definition of obtuse adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

Obtuse definition: Lacking quickness of perception or intellect.

The words blunt and dull are common synonyms of obtuse. While all three words mean "not sharp, keen, or acute," obtuse implies such bluntness as makes one insensitive in perception or imagination.