What word am I looking for?

[sonrisa]

I don't use "obtuse" as a synonym for "dumb." I misused "obtuse" to mean deliberately, obstinately ignorant in the face of evidence to the contrary. You know, like creationist biologists or Casey Anthony jurors.

What word should I use instead?

[sonrisa]

perhaps :-) that is easy.

[luckyval]

oblivious?

[EmilieMadison]

Moron, LOL!
But you used obtuse correctly and someone can be deliberately obtuse whey they refuse to acknowledge something.

[sonrisa]

Jan 8, 2013 15:11:17 GMT -5 kevin arnold said:

You used obstinate in your OP, I think that's actually a great word in this case.

But you can be obstinate and right at the same time. Or you can be obstinate about something there is no right or wrong answer to, just preferences.

[Deleted]

i'm not sure where this debate is coming from, but i use obtuse as you describe in your OP. anyone who says otherwise is getting a sockful of nickels to the head.

[iheartvino]

When we were bad growing up, my dad would tell us that we were being "willfully disobediant and obstreperous," which means stubbornly resistant, usually to control, but I think it can just mean stubbornly resistant.

I don't know if that is the word you are looking for or not, but it seems like it could fit.

Also, I don't think I understood what that meant as a five year old, lol.

[laptopvixen]

mamasaurus

[EmilieMadison]

Jan 8, 2013 15:13:01 GMT -5 laptopvixen said:

mamasaurus

(*)

[nomad100]

How about Ignoramus.

Noun
An ignorant or stupid person.

Synonyms
know-nothing

(I love this word and don't get to use it often enough )

[sonrisa]

Tamb: I looked it up via google and the definition agreed with you. Which led me to wonder why I'd been using it in a different way for years (and wonder if there was a common word that I was confusing with it). I bet both definitions would have been in a better dictionary. Confusion averted.

I agree that the slam wasn't very good. I like mama but I think she is being obtuse on this. Really obtuse.

[hoobs]

I don't have a lot of time so can you cut to the chase and tell us what you were unobtusely alluding to in the other thread?

Is it Riversong?

[shostakovich]

I've always used obtuse to mean either 1) willfully ignorant, or 2) purposefully difficult. Sometimes, with very special people, it's a combination of the two.

[bleubook]

Thick
Difficult
Stubbornly stupid
Asinine
Willfully ignorant