Obtuse is an adjective describing someone slow to understand or lacking sharpness in intellect, or something rounded or blunt in form. In everyday use it often refers to a person who misses obvious points, or a geometry term describing an angle greater than 90 degrees but less than 180. The word can carry subtle criticism, sometimes implying stubbornness or insensitivity, in addition to physical bluntness.
- You might spill the /t/ into a near-diphthong instead of clearly articulating the /t/ before the /juː/; practice crisp /t/ followed by /j/ as in /tjuː/. - Some speakers reduce the /juː/ to /uː/ or /ju/ in fast speech; maintain the /juː/ glide to preserve the correct second syllable. - Stress misplacement is common; remember the stress is on the second syllable: ob-TUSE.
- US: rhotic-less influence is minimal here; focus on preserving the /juː/ glide after the /t/. - UK: keep the /juː/ and avoid a heavily rounded /oʊ/ vowel; the second syllable should be a clear /tjuː/. - AU: you may hear a slightly shorter /juː/ or a reduced vowel in casual speech; keep the core /tjuː/ cluster intact and avoid /otuː/ or /tjus/ pronunciations.
"He made an obtuse remark that missed the point of the discussion."
"The obtuse angle in the triangle measured just over 90 degrees."
"Her obtuse understanding of the topic led to several misinterpretations."
"In geometry, an obtuse triangle has one angle greater than 90 degrees."
Obtuse comes from the Latin obtusus, meaning "worn down, blunt, blunt-edged, or blunt in understanding." The root obtus- derives from obtus, “encroaching or blunt,” and is related to obtundere, to blunt or dull. In medieval Latin, obtusus was used in both physical and metaphorical senses. Through Old French obtus and the subsequent adoption into English, the word retained both its geometric sense (an angle greater than right) and its extended figurative sense (not sharp in intellect). The earliest known use in English appears in the 14th century, initially linked to bluntness in tools or weapons, then expanding to cognitive dullness by the 16th–17th centuries. By the 1800s, obtuse was firmly established as a general adjective for people or ideas that are not quick to understand or appreciate subtleties, as well as for shapes lacking acute points.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Obtuse" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Obtuse"
-uce sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce it as ob-TUSE with the main stress on the second syllable. IPA: US /əbˈtjuːs/, UK /əbˈtjuːs/, AU /əbˈtjuz/. Start with a schwa, then a soft ‘t’ blend, followed by a long ‘uː’ vowel (as in few) and a final /s/. The first syllable is unstressed. Tip: ensure the /t/ isn’t busily released; keep it crisp, then let the /juː/ glide into /s/.
Two frequent errors are misplacing the stress (you might say ob-TUSE is wrong for many speakers) and mispronouncing the vowel as /ɪ/ or /ʌ/. Correct it by stressing the second syllable with /ˈtjuː/ and keeping the vowel as a tense, long /uː/; avoid an overly short or lax /u/. Also ensure the /t/ isn’t fully aspirated into a hard stop before the /j/ glide.
In US/UK, the dominant form is ob-ˈtjuːs with a clear /t/ and /juː/ sequence; rhoticity doesn’t dramatically affect it since it’s not a rhotic vowel word. In some Australian speech, the /juː/ may reduce to /jə/ or merge to /u/ in rapid speech, giving ob-ˈtzug/ or ob-ˈtjus/. The key audible feature is the second-syllable nucleus /tjuː/ versus any reduced vowel forms.
The difficulty lies in the /tjuː/ cluster after an unstressed syllable and the long, tense /uː/ vowel that follows a quiet /t/. Speakers often slip to /ˈɒbˌtuːs/ or /ˈɒbˈtjuːs/ with mis-stressing. Mastery requires: precise placement of the /t/ against the /j/ glide, holding the /uː/ long enough, and cleanly releasing into /s/.
No; both the /b/ and /t/ are pronounced, and the /j/ is part of the /tjuː/ sequence. The trickier portion is seamlessly blending /t/ with /j/ into /tjuː/. Ensure you don’t omit the /t/ or make it a soft /d/; keep the two sounds distinct but connected.
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- Shadowing: listen to a native speaker say ob-TUSE and repeat exactly, focusing on seconds-long intervals. - Minimal pairs: ob-tune vs ob-tuse? (note: not a perfect pair) better: /əbˈtjuːs/ vs /əbˈtɒs/; compare with ‘absurd’-like /əbˈtjuːs/ vs /əbˈtjuːs/. - Rhythm: emphasize the unstressed first syllable, then a strong, longer second syllable. - Stress: ensure the /ˈtjuː/ is not weaker than the preceding syllable. - Recording: record yourself and compare to a reference to ensure /tjuː/ alignment.
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