ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsOobviate
ISEE/SSAThard
obviate
Meaning: to prevent or remove the need for something
obviate in a sentence
How obviate is used in real sentences:
Digital records may obviate the need for bulky filing cabinets.
The backup generator obviated any interruption when the power failed.
“Closing the walkway would obviate the immediate risk of visitors crushing displaced larvae, yet the reserve depended on admission fees during the wet season.”
— from the passage The Tremor Above
“Some hoped chemistry would obviate further argument, but laboratory results proved mixed: the pigments were old in composition, yet easily reproduced.”
— from the passage The Disputed Leaves
Synonyms for obviate
Other words for obviate — prevent, avert and preclude — carry the same meaning.
Antonyms of obviate
Words that mean the opposite of obviate:
- necessitate
- require
- cause
Where it comes from
From Latin obviare, meaning 'to meet or prevent.'
Word parts
- via — way; road
obviate: ob- (against) + via (way) + -ate (act)
Memory hook
OBVIATE sounds like 'obvious gate': a gate can prevent trouble from entering.