1
: having an edge or point that is not sharp
scissors with blunt ends
was hit over the head with a blunt instrument
gave her bangs a blunt cut just above her eyebrows
2
a
: abrupt in speech or manner
She tends to be blunt.
a blunt refusal
b
: being straight to the point : direct
To be perfectly blunt, I don't think he can do it.
3
a
: slow or deficient in feeling : insensitive
… showing how blunt the eyes and ears of writers generally are …—
Norman Foerster
Norman Foerster
b
: obtuse (see obtuse sense 2a) in understanding or discernment : dull
his blunt mind
bluntly
adverb
bluntness
noun
blunted; blunting; blunts
: to make less sharp, definite, or forceful
an ax blunted from use
blunted their criticism by praising her enthusiasm
: to become blunt (see blunt entry 1)
: a cigar that has been hollowed out and filled with marijuana
Synonyms
Examples of blunt in a Sentence
Adjective
To be perfectly blunt, I find her annoying.
He was blunt about needing more privacy.
Verb
a weapon blunted by use
the mushy music blunted the effect of the movie's final tragic scene
Recent Examples on the WebCBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
The report ultimately determined the cause of death was multiple blunt force trauma and the manner of death was accident.
—Eric Levenson, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
The Department of Defense has been a client of Prevent Biometrics since 2017, using the devices to monitor blunt forces that can happen in parachute landing falls, combat training and other military activities.
—Jeffrey Tomik, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
The Los Angeles County medical examiner has ruled a 16-year-old girl’s death from blunt force head trauma an accident, raising questions from her family about how thorough and conclusive officials have been with the case.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
Sixteen were severely emaciated and likely died of starvation; 11 died of blunt force trauma — although two of those whales were also extremely underweight; at least three bore fatal wounds from killer whales and two were tangled in fishing gear.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
His death was caused by multiple blunt force injuries, the office determined.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Mar. 2024
Investigators said the man suffered blunt force trauma to his head, according to archived radio dispatches reviewed by The Sacramento Bee.
—Darrell Smith, Sacramento Bee, 25 Mar. 2024
The medical examiner said Lyla died from blunt force trauma to the head, ABC 7 Detroit reports.
—Kc Baker, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2024
Maya King Micah Green, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Most recently, as Blinken and other senior officials have shuttled around the Middle East to negotiate possible deals for a ceasefire, Netanyahu’s top intelligence chiefs have not attended some rounds of talks, blunting the chance of an agreement.
—Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2024
Iran responded to these challenges by developing a flexible, robust, and dynamic set of tools designed to blunt the effects of U.S. pressure.
—Jon B. Alterman, Foreign Affairs, 3 Apr. 2024
To blunt the impact, Kentucky agreed to erect sound barriers along the interstate; monitor and repair damage from construction vibration; install new pathways into the community; and triple, from $420,000 to $1.2 million, grants to fix Lewisburg facades when construction ends.
—The Enquirer, 3 Apr. 2024
And for now, hydrogen is sourced almost entirely from polluting natural gas or other fossil fuels, blunting any potential environmental edge.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 Feb. 2024
Still, the analytic edge of Perl-Rosenthal’s account, like Zakaria’s, is blunted by its central historical category.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
End of carousel The legal campaign has blunted coordination as the 2024 election looms.
—Ann Marimow, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2024
This technique, combined with a few redundant story beats, blunts the emotional force and narrative momentum.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 7 Mar. 2024
David Peisner, Rolling Stone, 24 Mar. 2024
Palm leaf blunts and corn husk filters are also found to frequently fail for heavy metals, pesticides and microbial contamination.
—Harrison Bard, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2024
The announcement came as a shock to fans of Snoop, a longtime kush enthusiast and ambassador of the herb who once claimed to smoke 81 blunts a day.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 16 Nov. 2023
At Cal Expo, crowds maneuvered their way through the rows of booths Friday afternoon, sometimes stopping to take long drags from blunts or sample products.
—Barbara Harvey, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2024
As legal weed proliferates across the country, many storefronts have adopted a sterile, corporate aesthetic, while others lean into puerile graphics of, say, red-eyed Rick and Morty smoking blunts.
—Ezra Marcus, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2024
The chief, dark and bearded, pads up in faux-Gucci slippers smoking a blunt and apologizes that the pool is not filled; the water-delivery truck couldn’t get through.
—Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 26 Nov. 2023
Images of Snoop with a blunt in his hand are ubiquitous on the internet.
—Antonio Planas, NBC News, 16 Nov. 2023
Sometime after her son shot his teacher, Taylor smoked two blunts, prosecutors added.
—CBS News, 15 Nov. 2023
Adjective
Federal authorities say the whale died after suffering blunt force trauma from a vessel strike.
—CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
The report ultimately determined the cause of death was multiple blunt force trauma and the manner of death was accident.
—Eric Levenson, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
The Department of Defense has been a client of Prevent Biometrics since 2017, using the devices to monitor blunt forces that can happen in parachute landing falls, combat training and other military activities.
—Jeffrey Tomik, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
The Los Angeles County medical examiner has ruled a 16-year-old girl’s death from blunt force head trauma an accident, raising questions from her family about how thorough and conclusive officials have been with the case.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
Sixteen were severely emaciated and likely died of starvation; 11 died of blunt force trauma — although two of those whales were also extremely underweight; at least three bore fatal wounds from killer whales and two were tangled in fishing gear.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
His death was caused by multiple blunt force injuries, the office determined.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Mar. 2024
Investigators said the man suffered blunt force trauma to his head, according to archived radio dispatches reviewed by The Sacramento Bee.
—Darrell Smith, Sacramento Bee, 25 Mar. 2024
The medical examiner said Lyla died from blunt force trauma to the head, ABC 7 Detroit reports.
—Kc Baker, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2024
Verb
Prominent Republicans, including former President Donald J. Trump, rushed to blunt the potential political fallout from the I.V.F. ruling.
—Maya King Micah Green, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Most recently, as Blinken and other senior officials have shuttled around the Middle East to negotiate possible deals for a ceasefire, Netanyahu’s top intelligence chiefs have not attended some rounds of talks, blunting the chance of an agreement.
—Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2024
Iran responded to these challenges by developing a flexible, robust, and dynamic set of tools designed to blunt the effects of U.S. pressure.
—Jon B. Alterman, Foreign Affairs, 3 Apr. 2024
To blunt the impact, Kentucky agreed to erect sound barriers along the interstate; monitor and repair damage from construction vibration; install new pathways into the community; and triple, from $420,000 to $1.2 million, grants to fix Lewisburg facades when construction ends.
—The Enquirer, 3 Apr. 2024
And for now, hydrogen is sourced almost entirely from polluting natural gas or other fossil fuels, blunting any potential environmental edge.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 Feb. 2024
Still, the analytic edge of Perl-Rosenthal’s account, like Zakaria’s, is blunted by its central historical category.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
End of carousel The legal campaign has blunted coordination as the 2024 election looms.
—Ann Marimow, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2024
This technique, combined with a few redundant story beats, blunts the emotional force and narrative momentum.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 7 Mar. 2024
Noun
Then, after a few moments of back-and-forth, Chambers takes a long drag from his blunt.
—David Peisner, Rolling Stone, 24 Mar. 2024
Palm leaf blunts and corn husk filters are also found to frequently fail for heavy metals, pesticides and microbial contamination.
—Harrison Bard, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2024
The announcement came as a shock to fans of Snoop, a longtime kush enthusiast and ambassador of the herb who once claimed to smoke 81 blunts a day.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 16 Nov. 2023
At Cal Expo, crowds maneuvered their way through the rows of booths Friday afternoon, sometimes stopping to take long drags from blunts or sample products.
—Barbara Harvey, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2024
As legal weed proliferates across the country, many storefronts have adopted a sterile, corporate aesthetic, while others lean into puerile graphics of, say, red-eyed Rick and Morty smoking blunts.
—Ezra Marcus, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2024
The chief, dark and bearded, pads up in faux-Gucci slippers smoking a blunt and apologizes that the pool is not filled; the water-delivery truck couldn’t get through.
—Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 26 Nov. 2023
Images of Snoop with a blunt in his hand are ubiquitous on the internet.
—Antonio Planas, NBC News, 16 Nov. 2023
Sometime after her son shot his teacher, Taylor smoked two blunts, prosecutors added.
—CBS News, 15 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blunt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near blunt
Cite this Entry
“Blunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blunt. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
blunt
1 of 2 adjective1
: slow or lacking in feeling or understanding
2
: having an edge or point that is not sharp
3
: abrupt in speech or manner
bluntly
adverb
bluntness
noun
blunt
2 of 2 verb
: to make or become less sharp
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