rule out vs obviate

rule out and obviate both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
rule out	No	No	Yes	No
obviate	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, obviate is a hypernym of rule out; that is, obviate is a word with a broader meaning than rule out:

Other hypernyms of rule out include eliminate, rid of.

rule out (verb)	obviate (verb)
dismiss from consideration or a contest	prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening; to protect from or to keep away anything undesirable; to ward off
include or exclude by determining judicially or in agreement with rules	get rid of something
make impossible, especially beforehand