obviate

«obviate» in Mova's school dictionary: To remove a need or a problem, so that something is no… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

verb (obviate, obviates, obviated, obviating)

meaning for a pupil

(formal) To remove a need or a problem, so that something is no longer necessary, as in "This obviates the need for…". tree →

sense in the lessons

A stiff formal word used in exams, reports and official writing; it almost always comes in "obviate the need for". In everyday speech people say "avoid", "get rid of" or "means we don't need".

examples

• The new bridge obviates the need for a ferry. tree →
• Labelling the boxes obviated any confusion. tree →
• A good plan obviates the need for rushing. tree →
• Wearing a helmet does not obviate the need to ride carefully. tree →
• The calculator obviates the need for long division. tree →
• Online forms obviate the need for paper. tree →

note

Formal and rare. Pronounced "OB-vee-ate". Do not confuse with "obvious" (easy to see); the two words are related in origin but mean different things.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «obviate» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.