Abstruse or Obtuse? Here is the Difference in Meaning with Sentence Examples

Abstruse means difficult to understand; obscure. 

Obtuse refers to an angle exceeding 90 degrees but less than 180 degrees. It also can refer to someone who is slow to understand, lacking sharpness or quickness of intellect.  

These words can be easy to confuse, since abstruse means “difficult to understand” and obtuse can mean “stupid” among other things.

Let’s look at these latin based words more closely, beyond just the definition.

Abstruse sounds a lot like abstract and their meanings overlap a bit. Things that are abstract (not concrete) are often abstruse (difficult to understand), and this is reflected by their similar roots. However, while the root -tract means “pull or drag,” -tuse comes from a root meaning “push”; in other words abstruse is similar but stronger than abstract. Abstruse describes something that pushes you away mentally:

Abstruse in sentence:  Quantum physics is too abstruse for me; I can’t understand it very well.

Obtuse, on the other hand, literally means “to push against,” but that is not very helpful. It will help if you know its meaning in geometry, where it describes an angle larger than 90 degrees—an angle that is approaching flatness, like an open book. This came from the idea that an obtuse angle looks like something has been “pushed against” it to make it flat!

But, outside of geometry, obtuse has gained another, metaphorical meaning; it means “stupid” and it can be used to describe both people and ideas:

Obtuse in a sentence: Quantum mechanics made me feel obtuse because I could not understand it.

To summarize, abstruse means “difficult to understand” and obtuse means “stupid,” unless it refers to a geometric angle.

More Examples of Abstruse in a Sentence

Here are more examples of the word abstruse can be used in a sentence:

1. The profundity of his writing was often misunderstood because it was so abstruse.
2. He loved the art of all the different cultures and derived a deep meaning from each one, finding an abstruse meaning in every line he read.
3. She expected to hear something abstruse and instead heard a song about a simple life.
4. The alien had been studying abstruse mathematical languages for centuries
5. The protagonist is a man of abstrusities.
6. I found a really abstruse but interesting book that I'm excited to read.
7. A few of the most abstruse parts of my research were too difficult for me to understand on my own so
8. The author's latest novel was a poignant and thought-provoking story with a twist that was just a little too abstruse for most readers.
9. The book was so abstruse that I could not understand it.
10. He found an abstruse passage in the book.
11. The abstrusities of the law boggled her mind.
12. The arguments in the essay were abstruse and difficult to follow.
13. The abstruser he seemed to become, the more I became attracted to him.
14. I found the book's usage of abstruse words to be both frustrating and confusing.
15. The professor's abstruse lecture went in one ear and out the other.
16. The abstruseness of the poem was an asset; however, the poem seemed to lack depth.

More Examples of Obtuse in a Sentence

Here are more examples of the word obtuse might be used in a sentence:

1. The circular saw was so obtuse, it broke off the tip of the screwdriver.
2. I used the sharpener to make it pointy, but it became too obtuse.
3. The knife was too obtuse, so I had to
4. The word "obtuse" can be found in a sentence with a negative connotation.
5. When I came home I saw my obtuse angle calculator on the ground.
6. It is not easy to find yourself in the obtuse maze of thoughts and emotions that we must navigate
7. I'm not sure if I'm being obtuse, but I think it's possible.
8. It's not that I'm obtuse, but I just don't have the time for this right now.
9. I don't understand why you're so obtuse.
10. I'm not sure what you mean by that, but I think you're being obtuse.
11. The natural state of the eye without pharmacological intervention is described as having an obtuse line of sight
12. This message is obtuse and vague, not like you at all.
13. It was unusually obtuse for dad to be home on a week night.
14. The obtuse angle was the only angle in the diagram that was not a right angle.
15. The obtuse angle was calculated using the Pythagorean theorem.
16. Obtuse angles, when combined with a cord and pulley, can be used to create mechanical advantage
17. The bluntness of the word made the insult seem obtuse.
18. After flipping through the manual, it became clear that the instructions were very obtuse and difficult to follow.
19. The complex plot of the book made it difficult to follow and thus, many people found the book very obtuse.
20. The obtuse nature of the language in the poem made it difficult for people to understand.
21. She made an obtuse comment about my outfit.