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Meaning & use

blankly

adverb·Advanced

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UK/ˈblæŋkli/
US/ˈblæŋkli/

Meanings

  1. adverbnot comparable

    In a way that shows no understanding, interest or emotion, as if the mind were empty.

    Grammar: Comes after a verb of looking or reacting: she looked at him blankly.

    Patterns

    • stare blankly at something
    • look blankly at someone

    When the teacher asked about the homework, Leo just stared at her blankly.

    She listened blankly as the guide spoke in a language she did not know.

    He gazed blankly out of the train window for most of the journey.

  2. adverbnot comparableformal

    In a direct and flat manner, without softening what is said; used mostly of refusals.

    Grammar: Goes before or after a verb of saying or refusing: he blankly refused.

    Patterns

    • blankly refuse something
    • blankly deny something

    The manager blankly refused to discuss the matter any further.

    She blankly denied having seen the letter.

Common combinations

stare blankly
Tom stared blankly at the exam paper.
look blankly at
The students looked blankly at the strange diagram.
gaze blankly
She gazed blankly into the fire.
blankly refuse
He blankly refused every offer.
say blankly
"I have no idea," he said blankly.

Synonyms and how they differ

vacantly
Vacantly stresses that the mind seems absent or elsewhere, while blankly can also mean the person simply does not understand.
expressionlessly
Expressionlessly is a rarer, heavier word that describes only a face showing nothing, without the sense of confusion that blankly often carries.
emptily
Emptily is much less common and sounds poetic; blankly is the normal everyday choice for a puzzled or empty look.
uncomprehendingly
Uncomprehendingly says clearly that the person does not understand, whereas blankly could also describe numb shock.

Opposites

knowinglyintently

Word family

blank adjective
empty, or showing no expression
blankness noun
the state of being empty or expressionless
blank noun
an empty space to be filled in
blank out phrasal verb
to be unable to remember something for a moment

Commonly confused: blankly or bleakly?

blankly vs bleakly

Bleakly means in a gloomy, hopeless way; blankly means without understanding or feeling. A bleakly spoken forecast is grim, while a blankly spoken one is flat.

Practice

When the officer asked where he had been, Marco ___ at her, unable to understand the question.

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