Definition of OBVIATE (original) (raw)

: to anticipate and prevent (something, such as a situation) or make (an action) unnecessary

The new medical treatment obviates the need for surgery.

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Obviate derives from the Late Latin obviare (meaning "to meet or withstand") and the Latin obviam (meaning "in the way") and is also an ancestor of our adjective obvious. Obviate has a number of synonyms in English, including prevent, preclude, and avert; all of these words can mean "to hinder or stop something." When you prevent or preclude something, you put up an insurmountable obstacle. In addition, preclude often implies that a degree of chance was involved in stopping an event. Obviate generally suggests the use of intelligence or forethought to ward off trouble. Avert always implies that a bad situation has been anticipated and prevented or deflected by the application of immediate and effective means.

Synonyms

Examples of obviate in a Sentence

The new medical treatment obviates the need for surgery. The new treatment obviates many of the risks associated with surgery.

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

That should result in your DM list being up to date, which obviates the problem. —Andrew Couts, WIRED, 27 Jan. 2025 The president-elect argued that such a deal would obviate the need for the Supreme Court to weigh in on the First Amendment implications of the divest-or-ban law, which TikTok contends is unconstitutional. —Julia Shapero, The Hill, 14 Jan. 2025 Their launch platforms, such as aircraft, ships, submarines and vehicles, release the weapons far from the targets, obviating the need for them to be positioned within the enemy's lines of defense. —Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024 Pursued al Qaeda after the 1998 attacks on the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, perhaps obviating the need to overthrow the Taliban three years later? —Richard Fontaine, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2019 See all Example Sentences for obviate