Dense
Dense adjective - Not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily.
Usage example: she accused him of being dense when he didn't seem to understand her at first
Obtuse is a synonym for dense in ability topic. In some cases you can use "Obtuse" instead an adjective "Dense", when it comes to topics like stupid, slow, undiscerning. popular alternative
Obtuse
Obtuse adjective - Not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily.
Usage example: forgive me for being obtuse, but I wish you'd explain that to me again
Dense is a synonym for obtuse in ability topic. You can use "Dense" instead an adjective "Obtuse", if it concerns topics such as stupid, undiscerning, slow to understand. popular alternative
Nearby Word: obtusely
Mutual synonyms
Both words in one sentence
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Turns out 3D Realms didn't know how good they had it: the code was eventually open sourced, and internet code analyst/Google software wizard Fabien Sanglard dove into it, only to find it one of the most dense, most obtuse, most esoteric pieces of code ever committed to computer memory.
Source: Black Box
Cite this Source
Obtuse and Dense. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 16, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/dense/obtuse
Dense & Obtuse. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/dense/obtuse>.
Obtuse or Dense. 2016. Accessed August 16, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/dense/obtuse.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "dense" and "obtuse" have occurred on timeline