point-blank 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of point-blanknext
as in straight-out

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Dissimilar Words

point-blank

2 of 2

adverb

as in brusquely

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Dissimilar Words

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 point-blank
Adjective
Marczuk had a chance to score in first-half stoppage time, but Crepeau made a point-blank save to keep the deficit at one headed into the break. — Kyle Foley, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2026 San Jose’s second-half substitute Preston Judd had a pair of chances after coming on at the hour mark, but the first shot was over the crossbar and the second was saved at point-blank range by Marcinkowski. — Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026 Over the previous 18 months, two men had been gunned down point-blank at Vietnamese cafes. — Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026 Officers said two people reportedly met at a nearby shopping center, but the suspect at some point exited the truck and shot the victim at point-blank range. — Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for point-blank
Recent Examples of Synonyms for point-blank
  1. straight-out
  2. brusquely
  3. direct
  4. sharply
  5. frank
  6. abruptly
  7. candid
  8. gruffly
Adjective
  • When’s the last time everyone straight-out applauded the Dolphins draft?
    — Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Are people just straight-out living here under those blue tarps?
    — Kristin Dombek, Harpers Magazine, 21 Apr. 2026
Definition of straight-out
Adverb
  • Léo’s tenderly nostalgic reminiscences of past love affairs are slapped down by Emma, who brusquely dismisses his pleasant recollections as mere male projection.
    — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Yet, White House officials told me, Biden sometimes brusquely dismissed the views of both men, raising his voice as though berating children.
    — David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
Definition of brusquely
Adjective
  • Each bungalow has a deck—most with direct beach access—as well as its own golf cart and bikes for exploring the 96-acre island.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The 16 songs are prime riot-grrrl rock — raw, direct and impassioned.
    — Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of direct
Adverb
  • Charlottesville has become more Democratic, while rural areas have moved sharply toward Republicans.
    — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Once the company and its shareholders become accustomed to such a financial boost, an environment where individual guest spending sharply increases even when domestic park attendance is soft or steady, there’s likely no turning back.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of sharply
Adjective
  • Glimcher was unusually frank at the time about the thinking behind the changes.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The accounts Kramer and Schmelling collected are often frank about the reality of living in the communes.
    — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of frank
Adverb
  • Turning, however, needed to be done in 90-degree increments, which created some potentially confusing graphics as entire scenes abruptly appeared.
    — Mark J. P. Wolf, The Conversation, 28 Sep. 2026
  • They were hired by a nimble tech vendor with a flat hierarchy, and now they are being abruptly absorbed into a massive, heavily matrixed corporate bureaucracy.
    — Thanh Pham, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of abruptly
Adjective
  • Development comes from coaching, candid feedback, stretch assignments and leaders willing to take thoughtful risks on people.
    — Michael Londgren, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Next month, audiences will get a candid look at Holmes in the 34 days before her incarceration in You Can See Everything, which sees Fielder and a film crew move in with Holmes and her husband.
    — Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of candid
Adverb
  • Rose’s relationship with her father, too, is unusual in its unresolved jaggedness, while Sisto’s gruffly on-edge performance points to a deeper well of adult pain in Wes that his daughter cannot yet manage or comprehend.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 8 June 2026
  • Chief among the familiar faces is Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the stoic, gruffly professional explosives-disposal expert Major Will Tranter, who shows up at a construction site in the heart of London where an unexploded, 1,000-pound WWII bomb has just been found.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2026
Definition of gruffly

Browse Nearby Words

point
point-blank
pointed
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Cite this Entry

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

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