obtuse
slow to understand or perceive; lacking sharpness of mind
Word origin: From Latin obtusus, blunted, from obtundere, to beat against.
Obtuse in a sentence
Here are example sentences showing obtuse in a sentence.
He was being deliberately obtuse, pretending not to grasp the obvious hint.
The reviewer was unusually obtuse, missing an argument that the rest of the panel found self-evident.
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Verbal · Text Completion
Critics initially dismissed the composer's late works as merely blank, but later scholars recognized in them a deliberate restraint that concealed considerable technical sophistication.
Using “obtuse” well
In this sense obtuse means slow to understand, dull of perception, and carries mild insult. Distinguish it from abstruse, which describes ideas that are hard to understand rather than people who are slow.
More GRE words starting with O
a stupid, clumsy, or boorish person
stubbornly refusing to change one's mind or course of action
a gesture or attitude of deep respect or submission
showing deferential respect or submissive obedience
a tapering stone pillar with a pyramidal top, typically erected as a monument
grossly overweight to a degree that poses a health risk
to make something deliberately unclear or confusing
the act of making something deliberately unclear or confusing
Questions about “obtuse”
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