What does "blunt" mean?
A fencer's practice foil with a soft tip.
Blunt
adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·1 syllable ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A fencer's practice foil with a soft tip.
- Grammar: blunt is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: forthright, frank, abate, abrasive.
- Useful contrasts: pointed, aciculate, acute symptom.
- Usage evidence: He is very blunt in his manner.
How to use "blunt"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "blunt" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "blunt" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "blunt" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "blunt" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "blunt" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "forthright" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "blunt", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A fencer's practice foil with a soft tip. countable, uncountable
- 2 A short needle with a strong point. countable, uncountable
- 3 A marijuana cigar. US, countable, slang, uncountable
"[…] to make his point, lead rapper B-Real fired up a blunt in front of the cameras and several hundred thousand people and announced, “I'm taking a hit for every one of y'all!”"
- 4 Money. UK, archaic, slang, uncountable
"Down he goes to the Commons, to see the lawyer and draw the blunt[…]"
- 5 A playboating move resembling a cartwheel performed on a wave. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To dull the edge or point of, by making it thicker; to make blunt.
- 2 make less lively, intense, or vigorous; impair in vigor, force, activity, or sensation wordnet
- 3 To repress or weaken; to impair the force, keenness, or susceptibility, of figuratively
"It blunted my appetite."
- 4 make less sharp wordnet
- 5 make less intense wordnet
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 make dull or blunt wordnet
- 7 make numb or insensitive wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Having a thick edge or point; not sharp.
"The murderous knife was dull and blunt."
- 2 Dull in understanding; slow of discernment; opposed to acute.
"His wits are not so blunt."
- 3 Abrupt in address; plain; unceremonious; wanting in the forms of civility; rough in manners or speech.
"I was taken aback by the blunt admission that he had never liked my company."
- 4 Hard to impress or penetrate.
"December 30, 1736, Alexander Pope, letter to Jonathan Swift I find my heart hardened and blunt to new impressions."
- 5 Slow or deficient in feeling: insensitive.
Adjective
- 1 devoid of any qualifications or disguise or adornment wordnet
- 2 characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion wordnet
- 3 used of a knife or other blade; not sharp wordnet
- 4 having a broad or rounded end wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname transferred from the nickname. countable, uncountable
- 2 A minor city in Hughes County, South Dakota, United States. countable, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"He is very blunt in his manner."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "blunt"?
Common synonyms include: forthright, frank, abate, abrasive, abrupt, abrupt change.
How do you use "blunt" in a sentence?
He is very blunt in his manner.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English blunt, blont, from Old English *blunt, probably of North Germanic origin, possibly related to Old Norse blunda (“to doze”) (> Icelandic blunda, Swedish blunda, Danish blunde).
Etymology 2
From Middle English blunten, blonten, from the adjective (see above).
Etymology 3
Two possible origins: * From Anglo-Norman blunt (“blond”), a nickname for someone with fair hair or a light complexion. * From Middle English blunt (“dull, stupid”), a nickname for a stupid person.