blunt


Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

blunt

 (blŭnt)
adj. blunt·er, blunt·est
1. Having a dull edge or end; not sharp.
2.
a. Abrupt and often disconcertingly frank in speech: "People [in the Western US] are blunt with one another, sometimes even cruel, believing honesty is stronger medicine than sympathy" (Gretel Ehrlich). See Synonyms at gruff.
b. Stark; unadorned: "The blunt truth ... is that he is devoid of political courage" (Jeff Jacoby).
3. Slow to perceive, understand, or feel; dull or insensitive: "I felt blunt with shock when I heard the news" (Sallie Bingham).
v. blunt·ed, blunt·ing, blunts
v.tr.
1. To dull the edge of (a knife, for example).
2. To make less effective; weaken: blunting the criticism with a smile.
v.intr.
To become blunt: When the scraper blade blunts, you will have to replace it.
n.
1. A cigar whose interior has been hollowed out and filled with marijuana.
2. A marijuana cigarette that has been rolled in a cigar's tobacco leaf wrapper instead of rolling paper.

[Middle English. N., short for Phillies Blunt, a trademark for cigars of a type often used to make blunts.]

blunt′ly adv.
blunt′ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

blunt

(blʌnt)
adj
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.
vb (tr)
5. to make less sharp
6. to diminish the sensitivity or perception of; make dull
n
slang a cannabis cigarette
[C12: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse blundr dozing, blunda to close one's eyes; see blunder, blind]
ˈbluntly adv
ˈbluntness n

Blunt

(blʌnt)
n
1. (Biography) Anthony. 1907–83, British art historian and Soviet spy
2. (Biography) Wilfred Scawen. 1840–1922, British poet, traveller, and anti-imperialist
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

blunt

(blʌnt)

adj. blunt•er, blunt•est,
v. adj.
1. having an obtuse, thick, or dull edge or point: a blunt pencil.
2. abrupt and direct in address or manner; frank.
3. slow in perception or understanding; obtuse.
v.t.
4. to make blunt; dull.
5. to weaken or impair the force, keenness, or susceptibility of: Wine in excess can blunt the senses.
v.i.
6. to become blunt.
[1150–1200; Middle English]
blunt′ly, adv.
blunt′ness, n.
syn: blunt, brusque, curt characterize manners and speech. blunt suggests unnecessary frankness and a lack of regard for the feelings of others: blunt and tactless remarks. brusque connotes a sharpness that borders on rudeness: a brusque denial. curt applies esp. to disconcertingly concise language: a curt reply.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

dull

blunt
1. 'dull'

If you say that something is dull, you mean that it is not interesting.

I thought the book dull and unoriginal.
It will be so dull here without you.
2. 'blunt'

In British English, if a knife is no longer sharp, you do not say that it is 'dull'. You say that it is blunt.

Scrape off as much as possible with a blunt knife.

American English also uses dull for this meaning.

He had a cut on his face from shaving with a dull razor.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

blunt


Past participle: blunted
Gerund: blunting

Imperative
blunt
blunt
Present
I blunt
you blunt
he/she/it blunts
we blunt
you blunt
they blunt
Preterite
I blunted
you blunted
he/she/it blunted
we blunted
you blunted
they blunted
Present Continuous
I am blunting
you are blunting
he/she/it is blunting
we are blunting
you are blunting
they are blunting
Present Perfect
I have blunted
you have blunted
he/she/it has blunted
we have blunted
you have blunted
they have blunted
Past Continuous
I was blunting
you were blunting
he/she/it was blunting
we were blunting
you were blunting
they were blunting
Past Perfect
I had blunted
you had blunted
he/she/it had blunted
we had blunted
you had blunted
they had blunted
Future
I will blunt
you will blunt
he/she/it will blunt
we will blunt
you will blunt
they will blunt
Future Perfect
I will have blunted
you will have blunted
he/she/it will have blunted
we will have blunted
you will have blunted
they will have blunted
Future Continuous
I will be blunting
you will be blunting
he/she/it will be blunting
we will be blunting
you will be blunting
they will be blunting
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been blunting
you have been blunting
he/she/it has been blunting
we have been blunting
you have been blunting
they have been blunting
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been blunting
you will have been blunting
he/she/it will have been blunting
we will have been blunting
you will have been blunting
they will have been blunting
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been blunting
you had been blunting
he/she/it had been blunting
we had been blunting
you had been blunting
they had been blunting
Conditional
I would blunt
you would blunt
he/she/it would blunt
we would blunt
you would blunt
they would blunt
Past Conditional
I would have blunted
you would have blunted
he/she/it would have blunted
we would have blunted
you would have blunted
they would have blunted
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Verb1.blunt - make less intense; "blunted emotions"
weaken - lessen the strength of; "The fever weakened his body"
2.blunt - make numb or insensitive; "The shock numbed her senses"
desensitise, desensitize - cause not to be sensitive; "The war desensitized many soldiers"; "The photographic plate was desensitized"
3.blunt - make dull or blunt; "Too much cutting dulls the knife's edge"
alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue"
4.blunt - make less sharp; "blunt the knives"
alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue"
5.blunt - make less lively, intense, or vigorous; impair in vigor, force, activity, or sensation; "Terror blunted her feelings"; "deaden a sound"
alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue"
obtund - reduce the edge or violence of; "obtunded reflexes"
petrify - cause to become stonelike or stiff or dazed and stunned; "The horror petrified his feelings"; "Fear petrified her thinking"
soften, damp, weaken, dampen, break - lessen in force or effect; "soften a shock"; "break a fall"
Adj.1.blunt - having a broad or rounded end; "thick marks made by a blunt pencil"
pointless, unpointed - not having a point especially a sharp point; "my pencils are all pointless"
2.blunt - used of a knife or other blade; not sharp; "a blunt instrument"
dull - not having a sharp edge or point; "the knife was too dull to be of any use"
3.blunt - characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion; "blunt talking and straight shooting"; "a blunt New England farmer"; "I gave them my candid opinion"; "forthright criticism"; "a forthright approach to the problem"; "tell me what you think--and you may just as well be frank"; "it is possible to be outspoken without being rude"; "plainspoken and to the point"; "a point-blank accusation"
direct - straightforward in means or manner or behavior or language or action; "a direct question"; "a direct response"; "a direct approach"
4.blunt - devoid of any qualifications or disguise or adornment; "the blunt truth"; "the crude facts"; "facing the stark reality of the deadline"
unconditional, unconditioned - not conditional; "unconditional surrender"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

blunt

verb
1. dull, weaken, soften, numb, dampen, water down, deaden, take the edge off Our appetite was blunted by the beer.
dull stimulate, animate, sharpen, vitalize, put an edge on
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

blunt

adjective
1. Not physically sharp or keen:
2. Rudely unceremonious:
verb
1. To make or become less sharp-edged:
2. To render less sensitive:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
خَشِنغَيْرُ حادٍ، كليل، مُثَلَّمفَظٌّ وَصَريحينْثَلِم، يَكِلُّ
neomalenýotupittupýupřímný
ligefremsløvblive sløvkontant
tylsätylppä
izravan
nyers
berorîur, afdráttarlaus, ónærgætinnsljór, bitlaussljóvga
鈍い
무딘
atbukintiatšipęsatšipintibukintišipinti
atklātsneassnotrulinātskarbstruls
neokresanýotupiť
brezobzirenodkrittop
slötrubbig
ทื่อ
dobrakörkörleştirmekkütlâfını esirgemeyen
thẳng thừng

blunt

[blʌnt]
A. ADJ
1. (= not sharp) [edge] → desafilado; [point] → despuntado
with a blunt instrumentcon un instrumento contundente
2. (= outspoken) [manner, person] → directo, franco; [statement] → terminante
I will be blunt with youvoy a hablarte con franqueza
he was very blunt with meno se mordió la lengua conmigo
B. VT [+ blade, knife] → desafilar; [+ pencil] → despuntar (fig) → debilitar, mitigar
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

blunt

[ˈblʌnt]
adj
[knife, scissors] → émoussé(e), peu tranchant(e)
(= not pointed) [object] → contondant(e) blunt instrument
[pencil] → mal taillé(e)
[person] → brusque
He was quite blunt about it
BUT Il n'a pas mâché ses mots.
[message, warning, response] → carré(e), net(te)
to be blunt ... (= frankly) → à dire vrai ..., (pour parler) franchement ...
vt
[+ scissors, knife] → émousser
[+ appetite, response, impact] → émousserblunt instrument ninstrument m contondant
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

blunt

adj (+er)
stumpf; with a blunt instrumentmit einem stumpfen Gegenstand
(= outspoken) persongeradeheraus pred; speech, warning, message, languageunverblümt; factnackt, unbeschönigt; he’s rather a blunt personer drückt sich ziemlich unverblümt or deutlich aus; to be blunt about somethingsich unverblümt zu etw äußern; he was very blunt about iter hat sich sehr deutlich ausgedrückt; let me be blunt about thislassen Sie mich das ganz ohne Umschweife sagen
vt knife etcstumpf machen; (fig) palate, sensesabstumpfen; his wits had been blunteder war geistig abgestumpft
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

blunt

[blʌnt]
1. adj
a. (not sharp, edge) → non tagliente, smussato/a; (knife) → che non taglia; (point) → spuntato/a
this pencil is blunt → questa matita non ha più la punta
blunt instrument (Law) → corpo contundente
b. (outspoken) → brutale; (manners) → brusco/a
2. vt (knife) → smussare; (point) → spuntare (fig) (nerves, feelings) → rendere insensibile
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

blunt

(blant) adjective
1. (of objects) having no point or sharp edge. a blunt knife.
2. (of people) (sometimes unpleasantly) straightforward or frank in speech. She was very blunt, and said that she did not like him.
verb
to make less sharp. This knife has been blunted by years of use.
ˈbluntly adverb
ˈbluntness noun
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

blunt

خَشِن upřímný ligefrem unverblümt αμβλύς directo, romo tylsä émoussé izravan diretto 鈍い 무딘 bot brysk stępiony franco резкий slö ทื่อ dobra thẳng thừng 钝的
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

blunt

a. despuntado-a; embotado-a;
___ injuriesheridas contusas.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

blunt

adj (object) romo, sin filo; (trauma) cerrado
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in classic literature ?
It was precisely to confer on that matter with Dona Rita that Captain Blunt had been despatched from Headquarters.
Mills got in touch with Blunt at once and put the suggestion before him.
As to Captain Blunt - I suspect that, at the time, he was thinking of nothing else.
Tildy with the blunt nose, the hay-coloured hair, the freckled skin, the bag-o'-meal figure, had never had an admirer.
But behind the convenient screen Tildy had thrown herself flat upon a table among the butter chips and the coffee cups, and was sobbing her heart out--out and back again to the grey plain wherein travel they with blunt noses and hay-coloured hair.
[USA], Sep 4 (ANI): Actors Emily Blunt and Jon Hamm have been roped in to star alongside Jamie Dornan in the upcoming film 'Wild Mountain Thyme'.
EMILY Blunt is excellent in gripping thriller The Girl on the Train (tomorrow, Channel 4, 9pm), adapted from the bestseller by Paula Hawkins.
IANS | Los Angeles Actor John Krasinski cried tears of joy at the 2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards for his wife Emily Blunt as she took home the Actor award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for her role in "A Quiet Place".
Emily Blunt loves a challenge, and in the world of movie musicals there's no greater trial than following in the footsteps of Julie Andrews to bring one of her most iconic, and beloved, roles to the screen for the first time in over half a century.
Blunt, who takes the title role in Mary Poppins Returns, has said it was an emotional experience having the veteran actor on set for the re-imagining of the family film.
Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins Prices will start at around PS4 and go up to PS10.