obviate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Usage
Only things that have not yet occurred can be obviated. For example, one can obviate a possible future difficulty, but not one that already exists
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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obviationnoun
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obviatornoun
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preobviateverb (used with object)
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obviableadjective
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unobviableadjective
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unobviatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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obviatesimple
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obviatessimple
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have obviatedperfect
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has obviatedperfect
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am obviatingprogressive
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are obviatingprogressive
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is obviatingprogressive
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have been obviatingperfect progressive
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has been obviatingperfect progressive
Past
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obviatedsimple
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had obviatedperfect
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was obviatingprogressive
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were obviatingprogressive
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had been obviatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of obviate
1590–1600; from Latin obviātus, past participle of obviāre “to act contrary to,” derivative of obvius; see obvious, -ate 1
Explanation
To obviate means to eliminate the need for something or to prevent something from happening. If you want to obviate the possibility of a roach infestation, clean your kitchen regularly. The prefix ob means "to go against." That makes sense when you look at the words obstruct and obstacle, but how about obstetrics? Why does the name of the branch of medicine dealing with birth have the same root as words that mean "stop" or "get in the way"? Because a midwife stands opposite to, or against, the woman giving birth.
Vocabulary lists containing obviate
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Latin Love, Vol I: via
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“I’m here to obviate sensor fusion,” Ouster CEO Angus Pacala tells Barron’s.
From Barron's ● May 4, 2026
This will obviate the need to travel to entertainment venues and make access economical and on-demand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
Strategy already set aside a $1.4 billion reserve for dividend and interest payments over the next two years to obviate the need to sell bitcoins in the near future.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 4, 2025
They also obviate the emotional component of investing, which so often can lead ordinary investors astray.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2025
“Some would contend that this confession would obviate the need for a lengthy trial,” she said in a cold, heartless voice that made Finn miss the real Ms. Morales.
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
So this basically obviates the need for everybody to own their own vehicle.
From Salon ● Nov. 9, 2023
The telephone obviates the use of a bullhorn, with a soldier standing south of the border, reading out a message to the North Korean side.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 24, 2023
The XPS 17’s spacious 16:10 17-inch screen nearly obviates the need to use an external monitor.
From The Verge ● Feb. 2, 2022
Anything that obviates the use of streetlamps seems like it’d be just as troublesome, if not more so, for the natural world.
From Slate ● Apr. 22, 2019
It also obviates the unnecessary working of the pump when the desired air pressure has been obtained.
From Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II by Rose, Joshua
That history, the majority found, obviated the need for the preclearance system.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2023
Pressman acknowledged that the strong leadership team that was already in place when Ritchie left obviated the need for an interim artistic director.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2022
The events could have obviated negotiations with the visiting EU coordinator.
From Washington Times ● May 11, 2022
Mike Smith has obviated those concerns down the stretch, with the 40-year-old winning nine of his final 10 games and looking quite sharp.
From Seattle Times ● May 1, 2022
I thought the only thing that could be done was to move the background up and down during exposure, which we did, and so obviated the appearance of a line crossing the head.
The longer the scene, the more likely it was mostly concocted inside a computer, obviating multiple takes, camera angles and union personnel waiting around to engage in spurts of frenzied action.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025
Many of its 94 minutes are occupied with well-mounted car chases, stunts and gunfights, obviating the need for character development, past the traditional foes-become-friends dynamic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2025
For example, NuScale engineers rely on convection to drive cooling water through the core of each SMR, obviating the need for expensive pumps.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 10, 2023
Decoding how the tactics of mendacity work in manipulating minds, in order to come up with counterstrategies for obviating or stemming their deleterious influence, is an urgent objective.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2023
A gibbous moon rose above the shoulder of 27,824-foot Makalu, washing the slope beneath my boots in ghostly light, obviating the need for a headlamp.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
