obtuse — slow to understand; lacking sharpness or quickness of sensibility or intellect
Part of speech: ADJECTIVE
Definition: slow to understand; lacking sharpness or quickness of sensibility or intellect
Pronunciation (IPA): /əbˈtuːs/
Example Sentences
- Despite everyone's laughter, Jake remained obtuse to the joke and kept asking 'What's so funny?'
- The professor's obtuse response to the student's clear question frustrated the entire class.
- Sarah pretended to be obtuse when her boss hinted at overtime work on Friday night.
obtuse
ADJECTIVE[/əbˈtuːs/]
slow to understand; lacking sharpness or quickness of sensibility or intellect
He's so obtuse he still doesn't get why she's upset.
OB-twos? Can't even add twos — totally obtuse!
No excuse when you can't produce!
Got the picture? Now let's practice.
🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Latin 'obtusus', the past participle of 'obtundere', meaning 'to beat against' or 'to dull'. The prefix 'ob-' means 'against' and 'tundere' means 'to strike', combining to convey the sense of something dulled or blunted.
Breakdown
ob- (against) + tundere (to strike/dull) + -us (Latin adjective suffix) = obtusus (dulled, blunted) → obtuse (slow to understand, lacking sharpness)
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“Despite everyone's laughter, Jake remained obtuse to the joke and kept asking 'What's so funny?'”
“The professor's obtuse response to the student's clear question frustrated the entire class.”
“Sarah pretended to be obtuse when her boss hinted at overtime work on Friday night.”
“His obtuse interpretation of the safety manual led to several workplace accidents.”
📚Related Words
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