Meaning & use
blunt
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Saying exactly what you think in plain words, even when it may upset the listener.
Grammar: Can be used before a noun or after be: a blunt reply; she was blunt.
Patterns
- blunt with someone
- blunt about something
She was blunt about the problems with the plan.
His blunt answer surprised the interviewers.
I'll be blunt: the project is not working.
adjectivecomparable
Having an edge or tip that is not sharp.
Grammar: Describes tools and objects: a blunt knife.
Patterns
- a blunt knife
The knife was so blunt that it would not cut the bread.
He hit the lock with a blunt instrument.
The pencil had a blunt tip.
verbtransitive
To make something less sharp or less strong in effect.
Grammar: Takes an object: blunt the blade; blunt the effect.
Patterns
- blunt something
Cold weather can blunt the appetite.
The long delay blunted public enthusiasm for the plan.
Years of use blunted the axe.
nouncountableslanginformal
A cigar-shaped roll of cannabis in a hollowed-out cigar casing.
Grammar: Informal and slang.
The song mentions a blunt in the first verse.
Word forms
| comparative | blunter |
|---|---|
| superlative | bluntest |
| third person singular | blunts |
| past tense | blunted |
| -ing form | blunting |
Common combinations
- blunt instrument
- The detective said the victim was struck with a blunt instrument.
- blunt criticism
- Her blunt criticism helped the team improve.
- to be blunt
- To be blunt, we are out of money.
- blunt force trauma
- The report said blunt force trauma caused the injury.
- brutally blunt
- He was brutally blunt about the results.
- blunt the edge
- Repeated sharpening can blunt the edge slowly.
Synonyms and how they differ
- direct
- Direct is neutral and positive, where blunt hints that the honesty may sting.
- candid
- Candid suggests honesty without hostility, so it is gentler than blunt.
- curt
- Curt means short and rude, whereas blunt means plain but not always unfriendly.
- dull
- Dull is the usual word for an edge that is not sharp when you are describing a tool in everyday use.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: blunt or brunt?
blunt vs brunt
The brunt is the main force of an impact, as in 'bear the brunt'; blunt describes speech or an edge.
Practice
My manager is very ____: if my work is poor, she says so plainly and doesn't soften it.
Choose one answer.
Blunt describes plain, unsoftened speech. Tactful is the opposite, and vague means unclear, not honest.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “blunt”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.