Legal Definitions - obviate

To obviate means to anticipate and prevent something from happening or arising. It also refers to making something unnecessary, often by taking an action that resolves a potential issue or removes the need for a particular step.

To obviate means to successfully anticipate and prevent a potential problem, difficulty, or objection from arising, or to make something unnecessary by taking a different, more effective action.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

• Imagine a construction company planning a large building project. To obviate potential delays due to bad weather, they might pre-fabricate certain structural components off-site in a controlled environment. This action anticipates and prevents weather-related interruptions that could otherwise halt on-site construction.

• Consider a software development team working on a new application. To obviate the need for extensive manual testing every time a small code change is made, they implement an automated testing suite. This system automatically checks for errors, making the repetitive manual process largely unnecessary and allowing developers to focus on new features.

• In a community setting, a neighborhood association might notice a recurring issue with overflowing public trash bins. To obviate this problem, they could arrange for more frequent waste collection during peak times or install larger, sensor-equipped bins that signal when they are full. These measures prevent the unsightly and unhygienic situation from repeatedly occurring.