Obtuse vs Abstruse
obtuse
slow-witted/dull
abstruse
hard to understand
How to tell them apart
OBtuse points at the OBservER: a dull, slow-witted OaF. abSTRUSE describes the SToPic itself being hard to grasp; the tangled 'STR' is like a knotted STRing of ideas.
Test yourself
Which word fits from context? Pick one, then reveal the answer. This is exactly how the GRE tests these pairs.
Question 1
Despite the tutor's patient repetition, the pupil remained so that he could not grasp even the simplest arithmetic explained to him.
Choose: obtuse or abstruse
Show answer
Answer: obtuse
a person who "could not grasp even the simplest" material forces obtuse (slow-witted); abstruse describes ideas, not a dull person.
Question 2
The treatise on quantum topology proved so that even seasoned mathematicians struggled to follow its densely technical arguments.
Choose: obtuse or abstruse
Show answer
Answer: abstruse
a treatise experts "struggled to follow" forces abstruse (hard to understand); obtuse describes dullness of a person, not difficult text.
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