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This week’s theme
Words with scene-stealing examples

This week’s words
soporiferous
misgiving
timorous
kidology
obtuse


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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(uhb-TOOS/TYOOS)

MEANING:

adjective:
1. Slow or unwilling to understand.
2. Dull or indistinct, as a sound, pain, or sensation.
3. Blunt; not sharp or pointed.
4. Of an angle: measuring more than 90° and less than 180°.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin obtundere (to beat against), from ob- (against) + tundere (to beat), which also gave us pierce, contuse, and obtund. Earliest documented use: 1425.

NOTES:

The obtuse barracuda (Sphyraena obtusata) is not known to be slow to understand. Its snout is pointed; what the structure anatomists describe as obtuse is the rounded rear tip of its opercle, or gill cover.

USAGE:

“How will Ambassador Hoekstra’s removal from Canada be done? The obvious answer: an Air Canada catering cart.
...
Hoekstra may not have killed anyone, but he has repeatedly stabbed the Oxford definition of ‘diplomat’ with a steak knife. Like his fetid overlord, Hoekstra has referred to Canadians as ‘nasty’ and ‘mean’ and also said he does not understand us. Two insults and a compliment -- make up your mind, Pete.
...
Has there ever been a diplomat so utterly obtuse? It perfectly fits the Trump pattern -- a crackpot in charge of health, a sycophant in charge of justice, a succession of professional liars in charge of media and, for ambassador to Canada, a man who combines the bark of a sea lion with the charm of a box jellyfish.”
Steve Burgess; Please Advise! Where Do I Sign the Hoekstra Heave-Ho Petition?; The Tyee (Vancouver, Canada); Aug 17, 2026.

See more usage examples of obtuse in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: