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Definitions

obtuseness

[uhb-toos-nis, -tyoos-] / əbˈtus nɪs, -ˈtyus- /
NOUN
ignorance
Synonyms
STRONGEST
illiteracy nescience
STRONG
benightedness darkness lack of education sciolism shallowness unenlightenment unfamiliarity
WEAK
callowness crudeness empty-headedness half-knowledge ineducation inscience naïveté rawness simplicity uncouthness
Antonyms
STRONG
erudition understanding
WEAK
competence cultivation education experience intelligence knowledge literacy wisdom
NOUN
nescience
Synonyms
STRONG
bewilderment blindness callowness crudeness darkness denseness disregard dumbness fog illiteracy incapacity incomprehension innocence insensitivity oblivion obliviousness philistinism rawness sciolism shallowness simplicity unawareness unconsciousness uncouthness unenlightenment unfamiliarity vagueness
WEAK
benightedness empty-headedness half-knowledge illiterateness inscience lack of education mental incapacity naïveté unscholarliness
Antonyms
STRONG
cognizance understanding
NOUN
obliviousness
Synonyms
STRONG
bewilderment blindness callowness crudeness darkness denseness disregard dumbness fog illiteracy incapacity incomprehension innocence insensitivity nescience oblivion philistinism rawness sciolism shallowness simplicity unawareness unconsciousness uncouthness unenlightenment unfamiliarity vagueness
WEAK
benightedness empty-headedness half-knowledge inscience lack of education mental incapacity naïveté unscholarliness
Antonyms
STRONG
cognizance understanding
NOUN
stupidity
Synonyms
STRONGEST
absurdity apathy idiocy ignorance lunacy nonsense silliness
STRONG
asininity fatuity fatuousness imbecility imprudence incapacity ineptitude injudiciousness insensibility puerility shallowness simplicity slowness sluggishness stolidity stupefaction stupor weakness
WEAK
battiness brainlessness doltishness feeble-mindedness nitwittedness stupidness thick-headedness weak-mindedness
Antonyms
STRONGEST
intelligence sense
WEAK
acumen canniness judgment shrewdness wisdom
NOUN
unawareness
Synonyms
STRONG
bewilderment blindness callowness crudeness darkness denseness disregard dumbness fog illiteracy incapacity incomprehension innocence insensitivity nescience oblivion obliviousness philistinism rawness sciolism shallowness simplicity unconsciousness uncouthness unenlightenment unfamiliarity vagueness
WEAK
benightedness empty-headedness half-knowledge inscience lack of education mental incapacity naïveté unscholarliness
Antonyms
STRONG
cognizance understanding
NOUN
unconsciousness
Synonyms
STRONGEST
oblivion
STRONG
bewilderment blindness callowness crudeness darkness denseness disregard dumbness fog illiteracy incapacity incomprehension innocence insensitivity nescience obliviousness philistinism rawness sciolism shallowness simplicity unawareness uncouthness unenlightenment unfamiliarity vagueness
WEAK
benightedness empty-headedness half-knowledge inscience lack of education mental incapacity naïveté unscholarliness
Antonyms
STRONG
cognizance understanding
NOUN
unfamiliarity
Synonyms
STRONG
bewilderment blindness callowness crudeness darkness denseness disregard dumbness fog illiteracy incapacity incomprehension innocence insensitivity nescience oblivion obliviousness philistinism rawness sciolism shallowness simplicity unawareness unconsciousness uncouthness unenlightenment vagueness
WEAK
benightedness empty-headedness half-knowledge inscience lack of education mental incapacity naïveté unscholarliness
Antonyms
STRONG
cognizance understanding

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

One of the great Twitter accounts documenting this is called VCs Congratulating Themselves—a collection of venture capitalists posting with mind-blowing obtuseness.

From Slate • Nov. 10, 2023

Anxiety and depression are endemic, psychologists tell us, and why wouldn’t they be, when optimism and cheerfulness are taken as signs of obtuseness?

From Washington Post • Mar. 31, 2023

For many viewers, it was "Home Alone" through which they were first introduced to Catherine O'Hara's unique style of comedic obtuseness.

From Salon • Dec. 10, 2020

Pasquale has a higher-end version of Jordan’s problem: how to make intermittent obtuseness seem credible.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 4, 2018

I had never encountered such obtuseness in a first-class hotel, and I told them so, but this only increased their inhospitality.

From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin