blunted 1 of 2

adjective

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

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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
Know More There’s plenty of history to look back on for House Democrats who worry that a favorable political climate could get blunted by last-minute GOP spending. — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 8 Sep. 2026 There’s a nice bitter chocolate flavor that’s blunted perfectly by the brownies’ delicate sweetness. — Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 8 Sep. 2026 The attacking threat evident in those marquee victories has since been blunted too, with Morocco international Ismael Saibari departing for Bayern Munich this summer. — Nick Miller, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026 Britton told me that extensive meditation can prompt the prefrontal cortex to essentially shut off the brain’s emotional centers, causing feelings to seem blunted. — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026 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 Decades of declining violent crime have further blunted the public appetite for executions. — Pamela Colloff, ProPublica, 30 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blunted
  1. blunt
  2. reduced
  3. dulled
  4. diminished
  5. weakened
  6. subsided
  7. dampened
  8. decreased
Adjective
  • Swift pulled her dark blonde hair back into an effortless updo, showing off a pair of gold earrings and her blunt bangs.
    — Lara Walsh, InStyle, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The volunteers wore moulage makeup that resembled blunt-force injuries, and each of them had a script to follow.
    — Peter Hessler, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of blunt
Verb
  • To help pay for its tax cuts, the act reduced Medicaid payments by a trillion dollars over the next decade, though it was designed to delay the full impact of the cuts until 2027, after this year’s elections.
    — Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The agency reduced service earlier this year and has proposed more cuts in recent board meetings.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of reduced
Verb
  • None of this ever accumulates much weight, however, since the conflicts are all dulled by the one-note absurdity of the farcical plotting.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Then there is smell, dulled by our reliance on artificial fragrance; and sound, overwhelmed by notification pings.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of dulled
Verb
  • Gallery owners say years of mixed signals and the prospect of construction threaten a center already diminished by vacancies — and fear tenants may never come back.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Likewise, the failure to hire an effective leader for the Blockchain Association has diminished the industry’s influence in the Capitol.
    — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of diminished
Verb
  • Lower-ticket maintenance items have held steadier in sales, which can help to prop up the top line, but the per-store productivity weakened even where top-line sales looked flat, Graff said.
    — Kevin Williams, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The region’s long investment in coal and steel became a trap once the economic basis for those industries weakened.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of weakened
Verb
  • But as the initial euphoria of the rescue has subsided, officials have begun to raise difficult questions and trade accusations about the security blunders that could have led to a major disaster.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Questions about security failures But as the initial euphoria of the rescue has subsided, officials have begun to raise difficult questions and trade accusations about the security blunders that could have led to a major disaster.
    — Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of subsided
Verb
  • Orlando has around 2,930 hours of sunshine each year, meaning your plans won’t often be dampened by rain.
    — Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Yet her awakening is dampened by her depressed father and cruel stepmother Abby (Rebecca Hall).
    — William Earl, Variety, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of dampened
Verb
  • This means any slowdown in the labor market could create a more serious consumption problem, with the same households facing slower income growth and decreased access to credit.
    — Harvey Stober, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2026
  • And the number of young people who stayed on medication for six months — already quite low — may have actually decreased.
    — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of decreased

Browse Nearby Words

blunt
blunted
blunting
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Cite this Entry

“Blunted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blunted. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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