2 N‑VAR An obstruction is something that blocks a passage in your body. □ The boy was suffering from a bowel obstruction and he died.
3 N‑UNCOUNT Obstruction is the act of deliberately delaying something or preventing something from happening, usually in business, law, or government. □ Mr Guest refused to let them in and now faces a criminal charge of obstruction.
ob|struc|tion|ism /ɒbstrʌ kʃən I zəm/ N‑UNCOUNT Obstructionism is the practice of deliberately delaying or preventing a process or change, especially in politics. □ Obstructionism is generally most evident at the stage of implementing a law.
ob|struc|tive /ɒbstrʌ kt I v/ ADJ If you say that someone is being obstructive , you think that they are deliberately causing difficulties for other people. □ Mr Smith was obstructive and refused to follow correct procedure.
ob|tain ◆◇◇ /ɒbte I n/ (obtains , obtaining , obtained ) VERB To obtain something means to get it or achieve it. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] Evans was trying to obtain a false passport and other documents. USAGE obtain
You don’t usually use ‘get’ in the passive. Don’t say, for example, ‘
get: I got a job at the sawmill.
acquire: I recently acquired some wood from a holly tree.
gain: Students can gain valuable experience by working on the campus radio or magazine.
procure: It remained very difficult to procure food, fuel and other daily necessities.
ob|tain|able /ɒbte I nəb ə l/ ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If something is obtainable , it is possible to get or achieve it. □ [+ from ] The dried herb is obtainable from health shops.
ob|trude /ɒbtruː d/ (obtrudes , obtruding , obtruded ) VERB When something obtrudes or when you obtrude it, it becomes noticeable in an undesirable way. [LITERARY ] □ [V ] A 40 watt bulb would be quite sufficient and would not obtrude. □ [V n] Gertrude now clearly felt that she had obtruded her sorrow. □ [V + on ] He didn't want to obtrude on her privacy.
ob|tru|sive /ɒbtruː s I v/ ADJ If you say that someone or something is obtrusive , you think they are noticeable in an unpleasant way. □ These heaters are less obtrusive and are easy to store away in the summer. ● ob|tru|sive|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ Hawke got up and walked obtrusively out of the building.
ob|tuse /əbtjuː s, [AM ] -tuː s/
1 ADJ Someone who is obtuse has difficulty understanding things, or makes no effort to understand them. [FORMAL ] □ I've really been very obtuse and stupid. ● ob|tuse|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ Naivety bordering on obtuseness helped sustain his faith.
2 ADJ An obtuse angle is between 90° and 180°. Compare acute angle. [TECHNICAL ]
ob|verse /ɒ bvɜː r s/ N‑SING The obverse of an opinion, situation, or argument is its opposite. [FORMAL ] □ [+ of ] The obverse of rising unemployment is continued gains in productivity.
ob|vi|ate /ɒ bvie I t/ (obviates , obviating , obviated ) VERB To obviate something such as a problem or a need means to remove it or make it unnecessary. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] Our old-fashioned push-mower, for instance, obviates the needs for extension leads.
ob|vi|ous ◆◆◇ /ɒ bviəs/
1 ADJ If something is obvious , it is easy to see or understand. □ …the need to rectify what is an obvious injustice. □ Determining how he will conduct his presidency isn't quite so obvious.
2 ADJ If you describe something that someone says as obvious , you are being critical of it because you think it is unnecessary or shows lack of imagination. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ There are some very obvious phrases that we should know better than to use. ● ob|vi|ous|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] Francis smiled agreement, irritated by the obviousness of his answer. ● PHRASE If you say that someone is stating the obvious , you mean that they are saying something that everyone already knows and understands. □ It may be stating the obvious, but most teleworking at present is connected with computers.
ob|vi|ous|ly ◆◆◇ /ɒ bviəsli/
1 ADV You use obviously when you are stating something that you expect the person who is listening to know already. [EMPHASIS ] □ Obviously, they've had sponsorship from some big companies. □ There are obviously exceptions to this.
2 ADV You use obviously to indicate that something is easily noticed, seen, or recognized. □ They obviously appreciate you very much. SYNONYMS obviously ADV
1
clearly: Clearly, the police cannot break the law in order to enforce it.
evidently: The two Russians evidently knew each other.
of course: Of course there were lots of other interesting things at the exhibition.
needless to say: Needless to say, the cat moved quicker than me and caught the bird.
2
plainly: The judge's conclusion was plainly wrong.
patently: He made his displeasure patently obvious.
unquestionably: He is unquestionably a star.
obvs /ɒ bvz/ ADV Obvs is a written and sometimes spoken abbreviation for 'obviously', often used in emails and text messages [INFORMAL ] □ I won't be inviting Jenna, obvs.