different between witless vs obtuse
witless
English
Etymology
From Middle English witles, from Old English witl?as (“senseless; witless”), from Proto-Germanic *witjalausaz (“witless”), equivalent to wit +? -less. Cognate with Swedish vettlös (“senseless; witless; wild”), Icelandic vitlaus (“senseless; witless; foolish; mad”).
Adjective
witless (comparative more witless, superlative most witless)
- Lacking wit or understanding
- indiscreet; not using clear and sound judgment.
Usage notes
- This term is frequently found in phrases such as scared witless, witless with fear, and so on.
Antonyms
- witful
Derived terms
- witlessly
- witlessness
Translations
References
witless in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
Anagrams
- Wiltses, twissel
witless From the web:
- witless meaning
- witless what does it mean
- what is witless person
- what does witlessness
- what does witness mean in the bible
- what does witless wonders mean
- what do witless mean
- what does witless mean in spanish
obtuse
English
Etymology
From Middle French obtus (“obtuse (geometry); narrow-minded, obtuse; boring, dull, lifeless”), from Latin obt?sus (“blunt, dull; obtuse”), past participle of obtundere, from obtund? (“to batter, beat, strike; to blunt, dull”), from ob- (“prefix meaning against”) (see ob-) + tund? (“to beat, strike; to bruise, crush, pound”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewd-, from *(s)tew- (“to hit; to push”)). More at obtund.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /?b?tju?s/, /-?t?u?s/
- (General American) IPA(key): /?b?t(j)us/, /?b-/
- Rhymes: -u?s
- Hyphenation: ob?tuse
Adjective
obtuse (comparative obtuser or more obtuse, superlative obtusest or most obtuse)
- (now chiefly botany, zoology) Blunt; not sharp, pointed, or acute in form.
- (botany, zoology) Blunt, or rounded at the extremity.
- (geometry, specifically, of an angle) Larger than one, and smaller than two right angles, or more than 90° and less than 180°.
- (geometry, by ellipsis) Obtuse-angled, having an obtuse angle.
- (botany, zoology) Blunt, or rounded at the extremity.
- Intellectually dull or dim-witted.
- 1848, William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair, Chapter 21:
- When the elder Osborne gave what he called "a hint," there was no possibility for the most obtuse to mistake his meaning. He called kicking a footman downstairs a hint to the latter to leave his service.
- 1848, William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair, Chapter 21:
- Of sound, etc.: deadened, muffled, muted.
- Indirect or circuitous.
Synonyms
- (intellectually dull): dense, dim, dim-witted, thick (informal)
- (of a sound): deadened, muffled
- (of a triangle): obtuse-angled
- (now chiefly botany, zoology): blunt, dull
Antonyms
- (intellectually dull): bright, intelligent, on the ball, quick off the mark, quick-witted, sharp, smart
- (deadened, muffled, muted): clear, sharp
- (of an angle): acute
- (of a triangle): acute, acute-angled
- (now chiefly botany, zoology): pointed, sharp
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
Verb
obtuse (third-person singular simple present obtuses, present participle obtusing, simple past and past participle obtused)
- (transitive, obsolete) To dull or reduce an emotion or a physical state.
Translations
Further reading
- obtuse (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- obtuse in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
- obtuse in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- obtuse at OneLook Dictionary Search
Anagrams
- buteos
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /?p.tyz/
Adjective
obtuse
- feminine singular of obtus
Anagrams
- boutes
Latin
Adjective
obt?se
- vocative masculine singular of obt?sus
References
- obtuse in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- obtuse in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
obtuse From the web:
- what obtuse angle
- what obtuse means
- what's obtuse triangle
- obtuse what does it mean
- obtuse what part of speech
- what does obtuse mean in math
- what does obtuse angle mean
- what is obtuse angle and acute angle
you may also like
- witless vs obtuse
- sameness vs correspondence
- commission vs activity
- shroud vs case
- course vs area
- comforter vs curative
- niche vs cubicle
- humiliated vs bashful
- chatty vs everyday
- lofty vs grandiose
- concentration vs preoccupation
- trappings vs straps
- fervent vs sportive
- refine vs purge
- ninny vs clot
- billet vs ground
- student vs probationer
- watchfulness vs mindfulness
- clodhopper vs hick
- sign vs key