obtuse

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 27, 2009 is: obtuse • \ahb-TOOS\ • adjective 1 a : not pointed or acute b : exceeding 90 but less than 180 degrees 2 : lacking sharpness or quickness of sensibility or intellect 3 : difficult to comprehend : not clear or precise in thought or expression Examples: The child was so stubborn in her refusal to understand that I began to suspect she was being deliberately obtuse. Did you know? "Obtuse," which comes to us from the Latin word "obtusus," meaning "dull" or "blunt," can describe an angle that is not acute or a person who has a "dull" or insensitive mind. The word has also developed a somewhat controversial third sense of "hard to comprehend," probably as a result of confusion with "abstruse." It is now possible to speak of "obtuse language" and "obtuse explanations," as well as "obtuse angles" and "obtuse readers." This sense of "obtuse" is well established, but it may attract some criticism. If you're hesitant about using new meanings of words, you should probably stick with "abstruse" when you want a word meaning "difficult to understand." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.