obviate UK /ˈɒb.viˌeɪt/US /ˈab.viˌeɪt/verb 2adjective 1noun 1forms 4 verb2 •To anticipate and prevent or bypass (something which would otherwise have been necessary or required); to render (something) unnecessary.The door it was necessary to keep ajar in hers, as in most cottages, because of the smoke; but she obviated the effect of the ribbon of light through the chink by hanging a cloth over that also. — 1886 •To avoid (a future problem or difficult situation).A mild dose of a warm active aperient to obviate costiveness, or to produce two motions daily, is generally very beneficial. — 1826 adjective1 •Synonym of obviative.Colville has a rich deictic system with forms which distinguish, for example, between source and location, with each possibility characterized as proximate and obviate as well (Mattina, 1973). — 1995 noun1 •Synonym of obviative. formsobviated · obviating · obviates · obviateth
