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Make Your Point > Archived Issues > OBVIATE

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pronounce OBVIATE:

OB vee ate
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connect this word to others:

You might wonder if you really need the word obviate. We already have plenty of simple, common words that mean the same thing, like dodge, prevent, preclude, and counteract.

But obviate is fun to say. So is c__c__v___, another synonym. Can you recall that one? To c__c__v___ something, literally to "come around" it, is to avoid it, often in a smart or sneaky way.

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)    

definition:

Much like the word "obvious," which in its most literal sense describes things that stand in your way, the word "obviate" has Latin bits that mean "in front of (your) way."

When you obviate something, like a problem, you prevent it, avoid it, remove the need for it, or otherwise get around it somehow.

It's as if it's standing in your way, waiting for you, but you either destroy it or just walk around it.

Or, you could think of like this: you stand in the way of the problem. Nice!

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Verb, the transitive kind: "They're trying to obviate risks;" "Could a good proofreading program obviate the need for a human proofreader? No."

Other forms: 

Obviated, obviating, obviation.

how to use it:

"Obviate" is very formal and pretty common. It has a positive tone: you obviate bad stuff, or stuff that's pesky or tedious, and that's a good thing, saving you time, effort, or money.

You might talk about people obviating things, like risks, dangers, problems, issues, or the need for certain things, like fees, work, steps, equipment, employees, etc.

Note that we most often talk about obviating things, like rudeness, rather than obviating people, like rude passengers. Unless you really do mean that you're eliminating the need for certain people to be involved, as in "We fear that artificial intelligence will obviate millions of low-wage workers."

It's pretty common to talk about "obviating the need for" something and "obviating the necessity of" something. Those phrases may be redundant, but they remain popular and idiomatic. That is, even though you'd get your point across slightly faster if you say "I didn't mind the face masks; they obviated having to smile at people," you'll sound more natural if you say "I didn't mind the face masks; they obviated the need to smile at people."

examples:

"We need to know what we want from [devices like smartphones]: Do we want them to obviate problem solving? To make our lives frictionless? Or do we want these new devices to enhance our problem solving – not to make problems disappear but assist us with solving them?"
— Evgeny Morozov as quoted by Ian Tucker, The Guardian, 9 March 2013

"Our [hamburger-making] device isn't meant to make employees more efficient. It's meant to completely obviate them."
— Alexandros Vardakostas, as quoted by Martin Ford, Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future, 2015

has this page helped you understand "obviate"?

   

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.




study it:

Explain the meaning of "obviate" without saying "dodge" or "make unnecessary."

try it out:

In the New York Times, Alexandra Jacobs discusses celebrities who attend red-carpet events scantily clad. She says that by wearing practically nothing at all, these celebrities "are obviating the automatic question, 'Who are you wearing?'"

It seems a pretty extreme way to obviate an annoying question.

What's an annoying question that you get a lot in your day-to-day life? Could you think of a reasonable way you could obviate that question, as well as a really ridiculous, extreme way to obviate it?




before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for March is "Tidbits and Titles: Books That Became Movies!"

I provide the tidbits; you provide the title. And every answer will be a book that has been made into a movie. To see the answer, scroll all the way down. Let's play!

Here's a quote from the book:
"You mean only a half of Mike is coming back to us?" she cried.
"Let's hope it's the top half," said Mr. Teavee.

Here are some words and phrases that often appear in that book: Bar of chocolate, cacao beans, chewing, don't, excitement, factory, Golden Ticket, gum, machine, pipe, river, rushed, screamed, squirrel, sweets, television, wonderful.

What's the book's title?

review this word:

1. The opposite of OBVIATE is

A. CLARIFY (to make clear).
B. OBFUSCATE (to make dark or unclear).
C. NECESSITATE (to require or involve).

2. A common theme in letters to advice columnists is how to obviate _____

A. rude dining companions, like the kind who take calls at the table.
B. rude questions, like "Your kids look so different! Do they have the same dad?"
C. rude customers, like the ones who whistle at the waitstaff as if they're dogs.




Answers to the review questions:
1. C
2. B

Answer to the game question: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It's also great if you came up with one of the movie titles: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.


a final word:


I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.

I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.


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A disclaimer:
When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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