Blunt Definition & Meaning

American

British

Usage

Related Words

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms blunt American [bluhnt] / blʌnt /

adjective

blunter, bluntest

1. having an obtuse, thick, or dull edge or point; rounded; not sharp.

   a blunt pencil.

2. abruptly plain and direct in address or manner, without attempting to be tactful.

   a blunt, ill-timed question.

   Synonyms: impolite , uncivil , rude , rough , gruff , short

3. slow in perception or understanding; obtuse.

   His isolation has made him blunt about the feelings of others.

   Synonyms: stolid , thick , dimwitted

verb (used with object)

blunted, blunting

1. to make blunt or dull.

   He blunted the knife by using it to cut linoleum.

   Synonyms: hebetate , dull

2. to weaken or impair the force, keenness, or susceptibility of.

   Wine first excites, then blunts the imagination.

verb (used without object)

blunted, blunting

1. to become blunt or dull.

noun

1. something blunt, as a small-game arrow, a short sewing needle, or a short, thick cigar.

2. Slang. a cigar stuffed with marijuana.

blunt 1 British / blʌnt /

adjective

1. (esp of a knife or blade) lacking sharpness or keenness; dull

2. not having a sharp edge or point

   a blunt instrument

3. (of people, manner of speaking, etc) lacking refinement or subtlety; straightforward and uncomplicated

4. outspoken; direct and to the point

   a blunt Yorkshireman

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

1. to make less sharp

2. to diminish the sensitivity or perception of; make dull

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

1. slang a cannabis cigarette

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Blunt 2 British / blʌnt /

noun

1. Anthony . 1907–83, British art historian and Soviet spy

2. Wilfred Scawen . 1840–1922, British poet, traveller, and anti-imperialist

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What is a basic definition of blunt? Blunt describes something as being not sharp or as being straightforward. Blunt is commonly used as a slang noun to mean a marijuana cigarette. Blunt has several other senses as an adjective, verb, and noun.If something is blunt, it has a flat surface or is rounded. Blunt objects lack points and will slam, prod, or smash rather than pierce, puncture, or stab. In this sense, blunt is the opposite of sharp. For example, a sword is a sharp weapon that has a fine point that can pierce or has a fine edge that can slice. On the other hand, a baseball bat is a blunt object that is rounded with a flat surface. You can’t cut or slice anything with a baseball bat.Real-life examples: Sledgehammers, baseball bats, and tubes are all blunt objects.Used in a sentence: He smacked the nails with the blunt end of the hammer. In this same sense, blunt means to make something not sharp.Used in a sentence: She blunted the knife by trying to use it to cut plaster. Blunt can also mean something is straightforward or direct. Usually, this sense refers to comments or statements that are abrupt. For example, saying that your girlfriend’s new dress is ugly is a blunt statement because it directly states an opinion. As you might guess, this sense of blunt is often used interchangeably with words such as rude, curt, and explicit. The adverb bluntly most often refers to this sense of blunt.Used in a sentence: “I really hate that guy,” Shirley said bluntly. In slang, a blunt is a rolled cigarette or cigar that contains marijuana.Used in a sentence: I saw him smoking a blunt out back on the porch.

Related Words

See dull. Blunt, bluff, brusque, curt characterize manners and speech. Blunt suggests lack of polish and of regard for the feelings of others: blunt and tactless. Bluff implies an unintentional roughness together with so much good-natured heartiness that others rarely take offense: a bluff sea captain. Brusque connotes sharpness and abruptness of speech or manner: a brusque denial. Curt applies especially to disconcertingly concise language: a curt reply. See dull.

Other Word Forms

• bluntly adverb
• bluntness noun
• unblunted adjective

Etymology

Origin of blunt

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English; perhaps akin to blind

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

However, an open letter signed by more than 140 academics, campaigners and other experts cautioned that a ban would be "too blunt an instrument".

From Barron's

Cava’s Schulman is blunt about the stakes: “No deal, no discount, no marketing campaign can get you out of bad operations. If people have bad experiences, they’re not going to come back.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Europeans have striven this year to maintain U.S. backing for Ukraine—or at least blunt a reduction in U.S. support.

From The Wall Street Journal

Lancaster University warned the scheme may be "too blunt an instrument to successfully support young people into secure and sustained employment".

From BBC

Back in Sioux City, mechanic Robert Dobney, 57, was more blunt.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• brusque
• candid
• curt
• explicit
• forthright
• matter-of-fact
• outspoken
• rude
• trenchant

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.