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 WebJon Schuppe, NBC News, 23 Nov. 2023
His cause of death was listed as complications of multiple blunt force injuries and his death was listed as homicide.
—Stepheny Price, Fox News, 15 Nov. 2023
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said the cause of death for the teen, identified as Jonathan Lewis Jr., 17, was blunt force trauma
Eight teenagers have been arrested on murder charges in connection with the fatal beating of a 17-year-old teen who died earlier this month.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 15 Nov. 2023
Keith Lee has been known for his straightforward and blunt food reviews on TikTok — content that’s built him a following 14.5 million deep, and dozens of small business owners have credited him with saving their restaurants.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2023
Strengthening Hamas Publicly, Mr. Netanyahu used blunt rhetoric about Hamas.
—Maria Abi-Habib, New York Times, 29 Oct. 2023
Schneider, who lived near the scene of the crash, died from multiple blunt force injuries, according to the medical examiner's office.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 9 Nov. 2023
The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office said an autopsy determined Paul Kessler died as a result of a blunt force head injury and called the manner of death a homicide.
—Jeremy Childs, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2023
In blunt terms: That means that in addition to the temporary absence of workers, there is also a certain level of longer-term risk to these companies’ pool of talent.
—Michal Lev-Ram, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2023
Nbc Universal, NBC News, 5 Nov. 2023
After record-high inflation last year, the Federal Reserve has succeeded in blunting price increases in recent months.
—Julie Zauzmer Weil, Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2023
The idea is that these drugs seem to blunt the effects of the stress that can trigger these and many other psychiatric conditions.
—Sonya Collins, Fortune Well, 4 Nov. 2023
But without negotiation and compromise, Netanyahu’s government of religious conservatives and ultra-nationalists and Hamas’ terror attacks and fanaticism will blunt any hope of resolution.
—Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2023
Pins are popular because the contact allows for faster charging — which can help blunt the pain of shorter-than-ideal battery life.
—Victoria Song, The Verge, 6 Oct. 2023
The strikes on Tuesday appeared to back up Ukraine's requests for the missiles, hitting bases that house Russian attack helicopters that have played an important role in blunting Ukraine's counteroffensive.
—Patrick Reevell, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2023
To blunt the AfD’s rise, Scholz’s government has to regain the trust of voters who perceive the three-party coalition as dysfunctional and ineffective.
—Liana Fix, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2023
Past rocket barrages by Hamas have been blunted in part by Israel’s missile defense system, known as the Iron Dome.
—Eric Schmitt, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2023
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
Rapper Lil Twist, a new friend of Bieber’s, reportedly rolled the blunts with his brother.
—Vulture, 25 Aug. 2023
Che smoking a blunt at home alone while watching their own standup is kind of a mood.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 17 Aug. 2023
Elsewhere in the video, Justin Bieber guest-stars as one of her other boyfriends, sharing a blunt in their bedroom and a moment on a tractor.
—Vulture, 25 Aug. 2023
Though the veteran no longer needs to offer blunts for recording time, he’s still maintained a metaphysical connection to that time and headspace.
—Steven Louis, Spin, 17 Aug. 2023
Smoke from blunts held in Glo’s superbly polished hands permeates the air on one side of the room; swigs of Taylor port wine are gulped between the sets displayed on the wide-screen TV propped up in the middle of the space.
—Nerisha Penrose, ELLE, 14 July 2023
When Method Man hung out with Nas and DMX this fall, the three rap stars drank Hennessy, smoked blunts, and shot a whole bunch of cops.
—Chris Norris, SPIN, 27 June 2023
See More
Adjective
The man’s body was taken to the county morgue, where the cause of death was determined to be homicide by blunt force trauma to the head.
—Jon Schuppe, NBC News, 23 Nov. 2023
His cause of death was listed as complications of multiple blunt force injuries and his death was listed as homicide.
—Stepheny Price, Fox News, 15 Nov. 2023
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said the cause of death for the teen, identified as Jonathan Lewis Jr., 17, was blunt force trauma
Eight teenagers have been arrested on murder charges in connection with the fatal beating of a 17-year-old teen who died earlier this month.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 15 Nov. 2023
Keith Lee has been known for his straightforward and blunt food reviews on TikTok — content that’s built him a following 14.5 million deep, and dozens of small business owners have credited him with saving their restaurants.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2023
Strengthening Hamas Publicly, Mr. Netanyahu used blunt rhetoric about Hamas.
—Maria Abi-Habib, New York Times, 29 Oct. 2023
Schneider, who lived near the scene of the crash, died from multiple blunt force injuries, according to the medical examiner's office.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 9 Nov. 2023
The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office said an autopsy determined Paul Kessler died as a result of a blunt force head injury and called the manner of death a homicide.
—Jeremy Childs, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2023
In blunt terms: That means that in addition to the temporary absence of workers, there is also a certain level of longer-term risk to these companies’ pool of talent.
—Michal Lev-Ram, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2023
Verb
The debate will obviously be very important, too, for DeSantis, to be able to try to blunt the momentum from Haley.
—Nbc Universal, NBC News, 5 Nov. 2023
After record-high inflation last year, the Federal Reserve has succeeded in blunting price increases in recent months.
—Julie Zauzmer Weil, Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2023
The idea is that these drugs seem to blunt the effects of the stress that can trigger these and many other psychiatric conditions.
—Sonya Collins, Fortune Well, 4 Nov. 2023
But without negotiation and compromise, Netanyahu’s government of religious conservatives and ultra-nationalists and Hamas’ terror attacks and fanaticism will blunt any hope of resolution.
—Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2023
Pins are popular because the contact allows for faster charging — which can help blunt the pain of shorter-than-ideal battery life.
—Victoria Song, The Verge, 6 Oct. 2023
The strikes on Tuesday appeared to back up Ukraine's requests for the missiles, hitting bases that house Russian attack helicopters that have played an important role in blunting Ukraine's counteroffensive.
—Patrick Reevell, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2023
To blunt the AfD’s rise, Scholz’s government has to regain the trust of voters who perceive the three-party coalition as dysfunctional and ineffective.
—Liana Fix, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2023
Past rocket barrages by Hamas have been blunted in part by Israel’s missile defense system, known as the Iron Dome.
—Eric Schmitt, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2023
Noun
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
Rapper Lil Twist, a new friend of Bieber’s, reportedly rolled the blunts with his brother.
—Vulture, 25 Aug. 2023
Che smoking a blunt at home alone while watching their own standup is kind of a mood.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 17 Aug. 2023
Elsewhere in the video, Justin Bieber guest-stars as one of her other boyfriends, sharing a blunt in their bedroom and a moment on a tractor.
—Vulture, 25 Aug. 2023
Though the veteran no longer needs to offer blunts for recording time, he’s still maintained a metaphysical connection to that time and headspace.
—Steven Louis, Spin, 17 Aug. 2023
Smoke from blunts held in Glo’s superbly polished hands permeates the air on one side of the room; swigs of Taylor port wine are gulped between the sets displayed on the wide-screen TV propped up in the middle of the space.
—Nerisha Penrose, ELLE, 14 July 2023
When Method Man hung out with Nas and DMX this fall, the three rap stars drank Hennessy, smoked blunts, and shot a whole bunch of cops.
—Chris Norris, SPIN, 27 June 2023
See More
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.
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English blont, of uncertain origin
Verb
Middle English blonten, verbal derivative of blont blunt entry 1
Noun
from blunt "a short, thick cigar," noun derivative of blunt entry 1
First Known Use
Adjective
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3a
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Noun
1988, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of blunt was
in the 13th century
Phrases Containing blunt
Dictionary Entries Near blunt
Cite this Entry
“Blunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blunt. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids 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
More from Merriam-Webster on blunt
Nglish: Translation of blunt for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of blunt for Arabic Speakers
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