what is obtuse
Olivia Hensley
Updated on August 03, 2026
The definition of obtuse is someone who is slow to understand things. An example of obtuse is someone who listens to a joke but doesn’t understand the punchline.
Why is obtuse an insult?
The adjective obtuse is good for describing someone slow on the uptake: “Don’t be so obtuse: get with the program!” 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.
Is obtuse equal to 180?
Types of angles:
Angles between 0 and 90 degrees (0°
What is another word for obtuse?
OTHER WORDS FOR obtuse
1 unfeeling, tactless, insensitive; blind, imperceptive, unobservant; gauche, boorish; slow, dim.
What is a oafish person?
adjective. clumsy and stupid; unmannered; loutish: He’s not exactly oafish, but he’s no suave sophisticate either.
Does obtuse mean large?
Obtuse’ or ‘Abstruse’? Let’s look at it from another angle. In geometry class we learn about obtuse angles: those are the wide ones, greater than 90 degrees, in contrast to acute angles, which are smaller than 90 degrees. An acute angle makes a sharp point, while an obtuse person is not all that sharp intellectually.
How many angles are obtuse?
An obtuse angle is a type of angle that is always larger than 90° but less than 180°. In other words, it lies between 90° and 180°.
Does obtuse mean stubborn?
As adjectives the difference between obtuse and stubborn
is that obtuse is blunt; not sharp while stubborn is refusing to move or to change one’s opinion; obstinate; firmly resisting.
How do you use the word obtuse?
I may be very obtuse, but it is extremely vague and unsatisfactory. He has been obtuse, difficult, totally irrational and unreasonable to the detriment of the whole of his country. I was obtuse in seeing that all the preliminary parts of his speech did lead up to the point.
What is an acute person?
adjective. having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions. “an acute observer of politics and politicians” synonyms: discriminating, incisive, keen, knifelike, penetrating, penetrative, piercing, sharp perceptive. having the ability to perceive or understand; keen in discernment.
What kind of angle is 47?
acute angle-an angle between 0 and 90 degrees. right angle-an 90 degree angle. obtuse angle-an angle between 90 and 180 degrees. straight angle-a 180 degree angle.
What angle is 45?
A 45-degree angle is an acute angle. It is half of the right angle or 90-degree angle. An angle bisector of a 90-degree angle forms two equal angles of 45 degrees each. The 45-degree angle can be seen in so many places in our day-to-day life, such as in scissors, doors, windows, etc.
What is an angle between 180 and 360 called?
A 180° angle is called a straight angle. Angles such as 270 degrees which are more than 180 but less than 360 degrees are called reflex angles.
What is the opposite obtuse?
Opposite of of a triangle, having an obtuse angle. acute. acute-angled.
What is the opposite meaning of obtuse?
Opposite of annoyingly imperceptive or slow to understand. bright. clever. astute. keen.
What is another word for an ignorant person?
Some common synonyms of ignorant are illiterate, unlearned, unlettered, and untutored. While all these words mean “not having knowledge,” ignorant may imply a general condition or it may apply to lack of knowledge or awareness of a particular thing.