point-blank

[point-blangk]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR point-blank ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

aimed or fired straight at the mark especially from close range; direct.

straightforward, plain, or explicit: a point-blank denial.

adverb

with a direct aim; directly; straight.

bluntly; frankly: She told him point-blank that he was not welcome.

Origin of point-blank

First recorded in 1565–75

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for point-blank

direct, frank, plain, straight, blunt, close, plainly, unqualified, unreserved

Examples from the Web for point-blank

Contemporary Examples of point-blank

I come back to the way the older man at the book fair asked his question so point-blank.
Who Has the Right to Write About War?
Emily Gray Tedrowe
July 12, 2014
She shot her at point-blank range in the back of the head while out looking at flowers.
'The Grove': Was The Walking Dead's Latest Shocker a Mistake?
Melissa Leon
March 17, 2014
If she had been trying to kill him, she had been at point-blank range.
Rev. Jesse Jackson on the Next Trayvon Martin
Ben Jacobs
July 17, 2013
In it, a riot cop blasts her in the face at point-blank range with tear gas.
Turkish Protesters Are Entrenched as Protests Continue
Mike Giglio
June 6, 2013
I finally asked Pearce point-blank if he made up the post; he laughed and denied it.
What’s the Truth Behind the Viral Post About a Gay Christian Teen?
Jesse Singal
April 6, 2012

Historical Examples of point-blank

Therefore, none of the posse would have a point-blank shot at him.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
He might not have answered, or liked it, had I fired the question at him point-blank.
The Underdog
F. Hopkinson Smith
The chief refused at first, point-blank, to be a party to any such proceedings.
The Monster Men
Edgar Rice Burroughs
The firing, at point-blank range, was so furious that the men's clothing was ignited.
The Downfall
Emile Zola
Accordingly he sent to Pharnabazus and put it to him point-blank: Which will you have, peace or war?
Hellenica
Xenophon

British Dictionary definitions for point-blank

point-blank

adjective

aimed or fired at a target so close that it is unnecessary to make allowance for the drop in the course of the projectile
permitting such aim or fire without loss of accuracyat point-blank range

plain or blunta point-blank question

adverb

directly or straight

plainly or bluntly

Word Origin for point-blank

C16: from point + blank (in the sense: centre spot of an archery target)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for point-blank

1570s, from point (v.) + blank (n.), the white center of a target. The notion is of standing close enough to aim (point) at the blank without allowance for curve, windage, or gravity. From 1590s as an adjective.