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.

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

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

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, …

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.

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

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 quotation evidence.

Obtuse definition: Lacking quickness of perception or intellect.