bluntly

American  

[bluhnt-lee] / ˈblʌnt li /

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.

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Etymology

Origin of bluntly

blunt ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

At a recruiting event last year in London, one of Reflection’s executives put it more bluntly when speaking to a potential hire: “When you are talking to us, you are talking to Nvidia.”

From The Wall Street Journal

“It’s still not that powerful,” Mantell said bluntly.

From MarketWatch

Put bluntly, beneficiaries, as you say, can disclaim an inheritance, but leaving it in the trust delays the problem.

From MarketWatch

Its head, Chris Brown, puts it more bluntly, saying industrialised countries like Germany, which is actively supporting the green hydrogen projects, are applying double standards.

From BBC

Dorinda Medley has described the unspoken rule bluntly: you had to get there early, because once the salmon disappeared, what remained was… less compelling.

From Salon

Related Words

• crudely
• harshly