bluntly
Americanadverb
-
starkly and directly, with no attempt to be tactful or diplomatic.
I always had a tendency to act in ways that are politically unwise—to bluntly say what I consider the truth.
To put it bluntly, that is a very poor piece of policy-making.
-
in a way that involves no subtlety or discernment.
It was one of those things that's so bluntly obvious, none of them really had to say anything about it.
The three-strikes law has been applied too broadly, too bluntly, with some people serving life sentences for relatively minor crimes.
-
without any sharp points or edges.
It has downy leaves and stems and small white flowers blooming in June, followed by bluntly triangular seedpods.
Etymology
Origin of bluntly
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.
“It’s still not that powerful,” Mantell said bluntly.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 18, 2026
Bursting into Kenna’s quarters seemingly at will, she raids her near-empty fridge while bluntly shouldering much of the exposition.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026
"There's a problem here – the fuel problem – so surely the people at the top on both sides have to sit down, figure it out," he says bluntly.
From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026
Katie Miller and her guests avoid talking too bluntly about how disciplining children is achieved.
From Salon • Feb. 16, 2026
When I reached the two men, the commanding officer said bluntly, “Mandela, go back to your place. No one called you.”
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
