Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1500-1600
Language: Latin
Origin: obtusus 'blunt', from obtundere 'to beat against, make blunt'

obtuse

 adjective
     
ob‧tuse formal
slow to understand things, in a way that is annoying:
'But why?' said Charles, being deliberately obtuse.
—obtuseness noun [uncountable]
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
Dictionary pictures of the day
Do you know what each of these is called?
What is the word for picture 1? What is the word for picture 2? What is the word for picture 3? What is the word for picture 4?
Click on any of the pictures above to find out what it is called.

Explore our topic dictionary

Browse the dictionary