obviate
to prevent or make unnecessary by anticipating in advance
Word origin: From Latin obviare, to meet in the way.
Obviate in a sentence
Here are example sentences showing obviate in a sentence.
A clear contract can obviate many future disputes between partners.
A clear style guide can obviate most of the disputes editors otherwise have over punctuation.
Using “obviate” well
Obviate means to make something unnecessary or to prevent it by anticipating it in advance. It does not simply mean to remove; it removes the need for something before it arises.
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 “obviate”
Learn words the way the GRE tests them.
Vocabulary sticks when you meet it in real sentences. Practise these words inside text completion and sentence equivalence questions.