bluntly

[bluhnt-lee]

adverb

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. without any sharp points or edges.

   It has downy leaves and stems and small white flowers blooming in June, followed by bluntly triangular seedpods.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bluntly¹

blunt ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Last month, he sat down for a tongue bath of an interview with Carlson, which the former Fox News host justified by bluntly declaring Fuentes’ popularity demanded it.

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Trier expresses it more bluntly: “She won’t,” he predicts, “become one of those vain actors who play it safe.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

If I may ask bluntly, why do you feel it is so urgent that I continue to use the poultice?”

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The area around Lake Naivasha is being "invaded" by people, he said bluntly, leading to costly relocations when a "critical point" is reached.

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"We fell asleep at the wheel," Tuipulotu said bluntly on TNT Sports.

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Related Words

• crudely 
• harshly www.thesaurus.com