blunt
adjective
having an obtuse, thick, or dull edge or point; rounded; not sharp.
blunt
American
[bluhnt]
/ blʌnt /
adjective
-
blunter,
comparative
-
bluntest
superlative
-
having an obtuse, thick, or dull edge or point; rounded; not sharp.
a blunt pencil.
-
abruptly plain and direct in address or manner, without attempting to be tactful.
a blunt, ill-timed question.
-
slow in perception or understanding; obtuse.
His isolation has made him blunt about the feelings of others.
verb (used with object)
-
blunts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
blunted,
past participle, past
-
blunting
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
blunts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
blunted,
past participle, past
-
blunting
present participle
noun
-
blunts
plural
-
something blunt, as a small-game arrow, a short sewing needle, or a short, thick cigar.
-
Slang. a cigar stuffed with marijuana.
blunt
1
British
/ blʌnt /
adjective
-
(esp of a knife or blade) lacking sharpness or keenness; dull
-
not having a sharp edge or point
a blunt instrument
-
(of people, manner of speaking, etc) lacking refinement or subtlety; straightforward and uncomplicated
-
outspoken; direct and to the point
a blunt Yorkshireman
verb
-
to make less sharp
-
to diminish the sensitivity or perception of; make dull
noun
Blunt
2
British
/ blʌnt /
noun
-
Anthony . 1907–83, British art historian and Soviet spy
-
Wilfred Scawen . 1840–1922, British poet, traveller, and anti-imperialist
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.
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
bluntsimple
-
bluntssimple
-
have bluntedperfect
-
has bluntedperfect
-
am bluntingprogressive
-
are bluntingprogressive
-
is bluntingprogressive
-
have been bluntingperfect progressive
-
has been bluntingperfect progressive
Past
-
bluntedsimple
-
had bluntedperfect
-
was bluntingprogressive
-
were bluntingprogressive
-
had been bluntingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of blunt
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English; perhaps akin to blind
Explanation
A blunt object is rounded — it isn't very pointy. A blunt comment is candid — it isn't very subtle. When we blunt things we make them less lively, sharp, or intense. Blunt and blunder ("make a stupid mistake") may have the same origins — the Old Norse blundra, meaning "to shut one's eyes." So don't be blunt ("dull" or "obtuse") — here are a few things you probably don't want to do: 1) use a blunt ("dull") knife to cut your tomatoes; 2) make a blunt ("outspoken") comment that might hurt someone's feelings; or 3) blunt ("deaden") the sound of your favorite music by sticking cotton balls in your ears.
Vocabulary lists containing blunt
The ACT Reading Test: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 1
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List 5
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 8
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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.
See Examples For:
Alcott's injury is more akin to running into something very fast – technically known as a blunt trauma injury.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
“Ten years ago, we were a blunt instrument,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
Jamil may be blunt, but her point is truer now than ever.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
The letter’s blunt, legalistic tone methodically laid out pages of allegations, suggesting that there could be additional examples and that the investigation remained ongoing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
His blunt statement had a gravitational pull, drawing me back into the room.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
He’s also in good company: Emily Blunt and John Krasinski are neighbors, having snagged a full-floor apartment in the building for $11 million the following year.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
Her agent Felicity Blunt paid tribute at the time her death was announced, saying Dame Jilly had "defined culture, writing and conversation since she was first published over 50 years ago".
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
“In my view, she’s the most intensely competitive person in the Senate,” former Sen. Roy Blunt told me.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
With an ensemble cast led by Emily Blunt and Josh O'Connor, the action-packed film follows an effort to reveal a decades-long coverup of extra-terrestrial visitations.
From Barron's ● Jun. 14, 2026
After his lunch with Alan Blunt and Mrs. Jones, he had been moved out of the manor house and into a crude wooden hut a few miles away.
From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz
A walk after dinner, meaning 10 to 20 minutes of light movement, already consistently blunts unhealthy post-meal glucose spikes.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 21, 2026
Every shipment that makes it across the desert blunts the pressure from a closed strait and gives Gulf governments room to wait out the negotiations and shift the balance of power.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
They used to come all in one day but as time goes by they are more widely spaced and, to some extent, time blunts the edges.
From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2025
"The problem is that most evidence shows metformin blunts exercise benefits."
From Science Daily ● Nov. 18, 2025
The poison always blunts one’s mental faculties, especially when given in such a large dose.
From The Gray Phantom by Herman Landon
Amit Yair, 77, was blunter as he waited in a long queue to order coffee.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
The beta mom backlash is a response to several converging realities: A blunter cultural dialogue around maternal mental health that has stripped the glamour from “having it all,” and a shifting economic landscape.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
They were, to be blunter than that, living beyond their means.
From MarketWatch ● May 4, 2026
Peter Arensburger, a fellow Democrat who also lives in Riverside, was blunter still.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2025
Sprat was even blunter: getting rid of the tyranny of the ancients simply involved throwing out what he called ‘the rubbish’.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
“It bears emphasizing that war is among the bluntest instruments available to policymakers—economic or military,” Singh writes.
From Barron's ● Mar. 5, 2026
What Sullivan has left behind is the bluntest of warnings.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 19, 2022
The remarks were among the bluntest yet from the Fed chair about recession risk, although he maintains that there are still paths to avoid a recession.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 22, 2022
He was bluntest in speaking of the war in Ukraine.
From Salon ● Mar. 3, 2022
"Vulgar happenings," he said, "should be presented in the bluntest fashion."
From Ivory Apes and Peacocks by James Huneker
As well as Mr. Jagger sings, the band’s musical edge has been blunted by time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Current and former officials say they believe the ability of Iran to control the passageway will be blunted as its military assets are diminished.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
The formula still entertains, sure, but its bite has been blunted by the weight of copycats that came after the first installment.
From Salon ● Mar. 29, 2026
Arteta has spoken previously about how chaos and attacking more directly were effective ways for Arsenal to create chances when Zubimendi's influence was blunted by being man-marked.
From BBC ● Feb. 15, 2026
Blood red, its planes dull and blunted with sweetness, its edges rigid with juice.
From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
Historically, blockades were primarily designed to damage an enemy’s economy by blunting its ability to export.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
Both are likely to weigh on margins and cashflows, potentially blunting performance in what remains the market’s most important cohort.
From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026
"Even before the tumors were palpable, we see about a 40 or 50% blunting of this corticosterone rhythm," he said.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 18, 2026
Thousands of votes had already been cast by the time Jones’ texts emerged, blunting some of the effect of the scandal.
From Slate ● Nov. 4, 2025
He pronounced the words lazily, blunting the t’s to d’s so that it sounded like “siddle lister.”
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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.
