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Glite Dictionary
to obtund

to obtund

1 9.9
To make pain, a feeling, or a body response less strong
  • verb
  • /əbˈtʌnd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : atenuar
  • After taking the sedative, her response to stimuli became obtunded, and she fell into a deep sleep.

Examples

  • In cases of severe injury, the medical team aims to obtund the patient's awareness to manage trauma effectively.

  • Her talk with Aunt Bessie convinced her that her mother had something better to do than to lie there obtunded by morphine until death caught up with her.

    Academic text (1998)

  • However, the diagnosis might be more difficult in obtunded patients with head injury or multitrauma.

    Academic text (2006)

  • The other guests, strangers all, lolling around us, obtunded with tryptophan.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • He was obtunded on arrival and subsequently intubated.

    Academic text (2006)

  • It seemed wise to attack when the better part of their foes, complacent with garrison duty, would be obtunded from holiday celebrations.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • The doctor explained that the medication would obtund the patient's sensitivity to pain, allowing for a more comfortable recovery.

Synonyms

to blunt
vsto obtund
21 4.2

To make a feeling or pain less strong

used mainly in medical or technical contexts to dull sensitivity

Antonyms

to intensify
110 4.0

Make something stronger or more intense

to sharpen
35 2.1

To make the edge or tip of something thin and able to cut, like a knife

How Dull

to numb
62 4.2
to obtund
  • Specialized
1 9.9
to deaden
3 5.5
to blunt
21 4.2
to soften
50 3.1

Surface Forms

obtund infinitive
obtunded past
obtunded past participle
obtunding present participle
obtunds third person singular

Morphology

obtund = ob + tund

Although segmentable as ob- + tund (from Latin), the root 'tund' is not a standalone English word and the parts do not transparently yield the meaning 'to dull' for typical learners.

Etymology

Obtund comes from the Latin parts ob- ('against') and tundere ('to beat') and is related to obtuse ('blunt'), so imagine beating a sharp edge until it becomes dull; to obtund something is to make it less sharp, less intense, or less sensitive.