as in prevented
to keep from happening by taking action in advance
brushing regularly should obviate the need for frequent trips to the dentist
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Recent Examples of obviated
But a constant churn of financial maneuvers (spinning off Saks’ e-commerce, creating co-working spaces in underutilized stores, all while being highly leveraged) brought some benefit but never obviated the need to invest more in basics.
—
Phil Wahba, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
The new contactless system has obviated any need, or rationale, to offer discounts for people who use Clipper.
—Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 Dec. 2025
Phil Wahba, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
The new contactless system has obviated any need, or rationale, to offer discounts for people who use Clipper.
—Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obviated
Verb
-
Trump has repeatedly said, including in a briefing immediately following the shooting, that the 20,000-square-foot addition would have prevented a would-be shooter from getting close to him.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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The man reportedly told others to move out of the way just before the tree fell, which the people said likely prevented more of them from being hit.—
Kathryn Prociv,
NBC news,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Matt Duchene tied it for Dallas on a power play midway through the third period, seconds after his backcheck on Matt Boldy averted a short-handed goal that would've put Minnesota up by two.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
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The school district narrowly averted 100 layoffs at the end of March, and potentially 300 more by the end of the school year, with an emergency $10 million from Gaston County commissioners March 24.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
His process of doing so involved disparaging his accusers, browbeating people and institutions that no longer wanted to be associated with him, and refusing to accept a path that precluded a return to being a public figure.—
Elizabeth Spiers,
Vanity Fair,
29 Apr. 2026
-
However, lawyers from the Jackson Estate found that a settlement with one accuser had precluded any depiction or mention of them in a film.—
Andrew Flanagan,
Variety,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obviated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obviated. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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