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.

He has been obtuse, difficult, totally irrational and unreasonable to the detriment of the whole of his country.

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

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

1. not quick or alert in perception, feeling, or intellect; insensitive; dull. 2. not sharp, acute, or pointed; blunt. 3. (of a leaf, petal, etc.) rounded at the extremity. 4. indistinctly felt or perceived, as pain or …

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.

Dec 26, 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

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: obtuse /əbˈtjuːs/ adj slow to understand or emotionally insensitive (of an angle) lying between 90° and 180° not sharp or pointed indistinctly …

1. a. Lacking quickness of perception or intellect. b. Characterized by a lack of intelligence or sensitivity: an obtuse remark. c. Not distinctly felt: an obtuse pain. 2. a. Not sharp, pointed, or acute in form; blunt.