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.

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.

(formal, disapproving) slow or unwilling to understand something. Are you being deliberately obtuse? Perhaps I’m being obtuse, but what has all this got to do with me? He was either completely ignorant …

Jan 20, 2026 · Adjective obtuse (comparative obtuser or more obtuse, superlative obtusest or most obtuse) (now chiefly botany, zoology) Blunt; not sharp, pointed, or acute in form.

Factsheet What does the adjective obtuse mean? There are four meanings listed in OED's entry for the adjective obtuse, one of which is labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and …

OBTUSE meaning: 1 : stupid or unintelligent not able to think clearly or to understand what is obvious or simple; 2 : not ending in a sharp point measuring between 90 degrees and 180 degrees