# obtuse

> English word · Adjective · IPA /əbˈtjuːs/ · frequency rank #27,588

## Definitions
1. Blunt; not sharp, pointed, or acute in form.
2. Blunt; not sharp, pointed, or acute in form.
3. Blunt; not sharp, pointed, or acute in form.
4. Blunt; not sharp, pointed, or acute in form.
5. Intellectually dull or dim-witted.
6. Of sound, etc.: deadened, muffled, muted.
7. Indirect or circuitous.

## Etymology
From Middle English obtuse, from Latin obtūsus (“blunt, dull; obtuse”), past participle of obtundere, from obtundō (“to batter, beat, strike; to blunt, dull”), from ob- (“against”) (see ob-) + tundō (“to beat, strike; to bruise, crush, pound”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewd-, from *(s)tew- (“to hit; to push”)). More at obtund.

## Easily confused with
- **obese** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/obese-vs-obtuse)

## Common misspellings (8)
`botuse`, `obbtuse`, `obtsue`, `obttuse`, `obtues`, `obtusse`, `obutse`, `otbuse`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/obtuse