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
Phil Wahba, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obviated
Verb
-
The initial hold-up that nearly prevented a Spanish figure skater from performing his short program, set to music from the Minions soundtrack, at the 2026 Winter Olympics was a 20-second segment at the beginning of his routine.—
Sara Germano,
Sportico.com,
10 Feb. 2026
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Tyler Mahle had his first reasonably healthy season since 2022 and, despite some odd underlying metrics, prevented runs.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In Connecticut and across New England, where talk of electricity tends to turn on highest-in-the-nation rates, the potential cold weather energy emergency faced by customers elsewhere was averted, but that success comes with a warning.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
8 Feb. 2026
-
After hours of House of Commons debate, a vote was averted when the government gave in to lawmakers' anger and agreed that the Intelligence and Security Committee would decide what papers should be published, rather than a senior civil servant as Starmer had proposed.—
JILL LAWLESS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
While a handful of hospitals reinstated the care after a short pause, that hasn’t precluded some from suspending it again under further federal pressure, as Children’s Hospital Colorado did last month.—
Theresa Gaffney,
STAT,
5 Feb. 2026
-
We’re not precluded from going in that direction.—
Susannah Bryan,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obviated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obviated. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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