to obviate

Examples

• All

• Using a glass substrate obviated the need for the capture pad level.

  Academic text (1998)

• The separation of administrative and judicial functions might also have reduced or obviated the courts' reliance on referees.

  Academic text (2017)

• In turn, this stability will obviate the need for U.S. forces to return.

  Academic text (2002)

• But I, I think probably you would be able to move up levels of abstraction to, to more or less obviate that need.

  Robinson Erhardt

• Wouldn't that obviate the need for implied promises?

• In some cases, sharing additional information early obviated the need for a second request for information from the FTC.

  Academic text (2001)

• Various absorbable materials have been marketed to obviate the need for the removal of packing.

  Academic text (2008)

• Reliable rural support gives the party considerable security and obviates the need to resort to brute force against the opposition.

  Academic text (1998)

• One advantage OCaml brings to the table is type inference, which obviates the need for many type declarations.

  Academic text (2011)

• Bankruptcy Code amendments in 1984 were designed to obviate the problems the Court had articulated, without severely narrowing bankruptcy courts' jurisdiction.

  Academic text (2017)

Synonyms

A

to avoid

vsto obviate

∞ 1.0

To stay away from something or not do it to stop something bad from happening

involves avoidance rather than actively removing a potential need by prior action

P

to prevent

vsto obviate

∞ 2.3

Stop something from happening or someone from doing it

adds the idea of removing a future need by prior action rather than mere stopping

E

to eliminate

vsto obviate

• NSFW

502 3.4

Remove or kill something completely so it is gone

removes causes after they exist rather than preventing the need from ever arising

A

to avert

vsto obviate

73 5.0

To stop something bad from happening

targets removing causes so a need never arises rather than only averting harm

P

to preclude

vsto obviate

55 7.2

To stop something from happening or make it impossible

removes the possibility of a need rather than just blocking it temporarily

W

to ward off

vsto obviate

34 4.4

To keep harmful or unpleasant things away from you

is more about removing causes early so the need never appears rather than guarding

F

to fend off

vsto obviate

34 3.9

Keep unwanted people or things away so they do not harm you

focuses on removing future need by proactive action rather than short defensive moves

S

to stave off

vsto obviate

30 6.4

To stop something bad from happening for a while

aims to make a need unnecessary rather than only postponing its arrival

H

to head off

vsto obviate

23 4.8

Stop something from happening by acting early

focuses on preventing needs by acting beforehand rather than general prevention

F

to forestall

vsto obviate

17 7.1

Act early to stop a problem from happening

emphasizes early action to remove a future need rather than later stopping

F

to forfend

vsto obviate

• Archaic

2 9.9

To stop danger or harm from happening

is similar but puts more weight on protection than on removing the need

O

obviating

vsto obviate

• Formal

8.1

It stops something from happening and removes the need for it

is the same meaning but used as the base verb rather than the gerund

F

to forefend

vsto obviate

• Archaic

9.9

To stop something bad from happening

covers proactive prevention but stresses protection more than eliminating future need

Antonyms

N

to necessitate

• Formal

24 6.3

To make something needed as a result

How Preventive

to eliminate

• NSFW

502 3.4

to preclude

55 7.2

to obviate

• Formal

5 9.1

to prevent

∞ 2.3

to avoid

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

Etymology