obtuse
의미: Annoyingly slow to understand or perceive something; lacking sharpness of mind or sensitivity. In geometry, denoting an angle greater than 90 degrees but less than 180 degrees.
In everyday English, obtuse is a pointed insult suggesting wilful or frustrating stupidity — the person is not merely ignorant but seems incapable of grasping what is obvious to everyone else. It is more polite than 'stupid' but arguably more cutting, because it implies a deliberate thickness. The geometric sense (an obtuse angle) is its original meaning and remains current in mathematics. The word is sometimes confused with 'abstruse' (difficult to understand), but the two are quite different. It collocates with 'deliberately obtuse,' 'being obtuse,' 'rather obtuse,' and 'obtuse angle.'
예문
- The minister appeared deliberately obtuse when pressed on the discrepancy between his public statements and the leaked documents. 当被追问其公开声明与泄露文件之间的矛盾时,这位部长显得故意装糊涂。El ministro pareció deliberadamente obtuso cuando se le presionó sobre la discrepancia entre sus declaraciones públicas y los documentos filtrados.その大臣は、自身の公式声明と流出文書との矛盾について追及されると、わざと鈍いふりをしているように見えた。그 장관은 자신의 공식 발언과 유출 문서 사이의 모순에 대해 추궁받자 일부러 둔한 척하는 것처럼 보였다.
- Am I being obtuse, or does this contract actually require us to pay more for fewer services? 是我太迟钝了,还是这份合同实际上要求我们花更多钱却获得更少服务?¿Estoy siendo obtuso o este contrato realmente nos obliga a pagar más por menos servicios?私が鈍いのだろうか、それともこの契約は実際により少ないサービスにより多くの支払いを求めているのだろうか。내가 둔한 건가, 아니면 이 계약은 실제로 더 적은 서비스에 더 많은 비용을 지불하도록 요구하는 건가?
- The geometry lesson covered the properties of acute, right, and obtuse angles. 这节几何课讲授了锐角、直角和钝角的性质。La lección de geometría abarcó las propiedades de los ángulos agudos, rectos y obtusos.幾何学の授業では、鋭角、直角、鈍角の性質が扱われた。기하학 수업에서는 예각, 직각, 둔각의 성질을 다루었다.
발음
사용 가이드
맥락: academic, media, professional, literary
어조: critical
기원과 역사
From Latin obtusus meaning 'blunted, dull,' past participle of obtundere (to beat against, blunt), from ob- (against) and tundere (to beat). The geometric sense entered English in the 16th century; the figurative 'dim-witted' sense followed shortly after.
문화적 배경
Era: Modern
Generation: All ages
Social background: Universal
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