blunted 1 of 2

adjective

as in blunt
lacking sharpness of edge or point the blunted saw was worthless for fine woodworking

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

blunted

2 of 2

verb

past tense of blunt
as in reduced
to reduce or weaken in strength or feeling the mushy music blunted the effect of the movie's final tragic scene

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of blunted
Adjective
The results have been impressive enough from far away, but examined more closely as a blunted, external force, Big Brother has almost always been too literal in horror cinema. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 4 May 2026 Orientation matters; garlic is planted vertically, with the root (blunted) end of the clove facing down, and the sprout (pointy) end facing up. — Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 3 Mar. 2026 Flat, calm but earnest, mildly anxious, blunted, volatile. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
The defeat blunted Baltimore's bid to make some progress in the crowded race for the final AL wild-card spot. — ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026 Exports flowing from Saudi ports have blunted some of the impact of the Strait of Hormuz closure. — Fatma Khaled, Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2026 Weary of seeing people pick their teeth with daggers, Cardinal Richelieu has knives blunted in royal France. — New York Times, 17 July 2026 Decades of declining violent crime have further blunted the public appetite for executions. — Pamela Colloff, ProPublica, 30 June 2026 The White House’s Iran negotiations rely on the dollar’s leverage, but Tehran has blunted that weapon by using alternative financial architecture, The Wall Street Journal reported, including payments in yuan or cryptocurrency, and adopting a Chinese alternative to the Swift banking network. — Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 24 June 2026 No air-conditioning, no insulation, its charm blunted by DIY additions, discount drywall, generations of putty and steel wool stuffed into varmint tunnels. — Literary Hub, 22 June 2026 But a series of recent court rulings has blunted Democratic momentum in the redistricting arms race. — Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 May 2026 That hasn’t happened as massive releases from oil reserves blunted the impact. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 30 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blunted
  1. blunt
  2. reduced
  3. dulled
  4. diminished
  5. weakened
  6. subsided
  7. dampened
  8. decreased
Adjective
  • McConville died of multiple blunt force injuries, according to the coroner’s office news release, and his death has been ruled an accident.
    — Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Adrian Fontes, who, as the secretary of state of Arizona is one of the local officials who would be impacted by losing funding for election security, gave a blunt assessment to NPR.
    — Jenna McLaughlin, NPR, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of blunt
Verb
  • Brent crude oil prices paused in early trading on Tuesday after gaining in the previous session following a drone attack on an oil pipeline pumping station in Russia that reduced flows from Kazakhstan.
    — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Promise a rebate to every taxpayer when the size and cost of government is reduced.
    — Cal Thomas, Arkansas Online, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of reduced
Verb
  • The sparkle in her eyes had dulled and her smile seemed forced.
    — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Decades of scrolling have dulled our senses somewhat; this is inevitable.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of dulled
Verb
  • Inside one, the individual is both multiplied and diminished.
    — Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The persuasiveness of these efforts, however, is diminished when a WRO is modified without transparency and despite readily accessible evidence indicating that conditions for the workers have not truly improved.
    — Charity Ryerson, Footwear News, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of diminished
Verb
  • Economic data for July showed retail sales and urban investment both weakened, adding to pressure on Beijing to step up support for the remainder of the year.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026
  • This view suggests that the sense of shame was collectively weakened by a series of self-interested actors who shattered the social firmament and opened up the gates to chaos.
    — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of weakened
Verb
  • By the time the panic subsided, roughly 70% of the world’s grocery stores had run out of toilet paper at some point.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Though impending rainstorms are likely to make rescue operations more difficult, officials say a previous threat from a lake that had formed on the border between Nepal and Tibet has substantially subsided.
    — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of subsided
Verb
  • Related Articles The slow first-day sales, however, have not dampened the trade’s confidence in the Asian cultural powerhouse.
    — Vivienne Chow, ARTnews.com, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Use a cleaning cloth dampened with warm water and a drop of gentle dish soap, then wipe the area dry.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of dampened
Verb
  • Playing for Brian Daboll, Josh Allen slowly decreased his average time to throw and average air yards from 2018 to 2021.
    — Ted Nguyen, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • In Little Village, the number of vendors selling tamales and elotes has decreased, said Jennifer Aguilar, executive director of the business district’s chamber of commerce.
    — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of decreased

Browse Nearby Words

blunt
blunted
blunting
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Blunted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blunted. Accessed 9 Sep. 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 stigma

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

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

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
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
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All