not mince (one's) words

phrase

: to speak in a very direct and honest way without worrying about offending someone
He doesn't mince words when it comes to giving his opinion about the new law.

Examples of not mince (one's) words in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But the speaker did not mince words about his counterparts in the upper chamber. — Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2026 Marques Lester did not mince words about the increasing cost of gas. — Marvin Hurst, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026 O’Brien did not mince words about this kind of external pressure. — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 12 Mar. 2026 O’Brien did not mince words about this kind of external pressure on late-night television. — Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for not mince (one's) words

Browse Nearby Words

not merely
not mince (one's) words
not much
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Not mince (one's) words.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/not%20mince%20%28one%27s%29%20words. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of stalwart

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
thumbnail graphic with text word of the day quiz
Weekly "Word of the Day" Quiz See how well you know each Word of the Day for Ju...
See All