Blunt Meaning
/blʌnt/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjHaving a thick edge or point; not sharp.
adjDull in understanding; slow of discernment; opposed to acute.
Sentence Examples
He is very blunt in his manner.
Y'know we're short of money to have fun and ... Well to be blunt, gimme!
A love triangle has at least two blunt angles.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The knife was too ____ to cut through the thick steak.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
This knife is very ____, so it is hard to cut the thick vegetables.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English blunt, blont, from Old English *blunt, probably of North Germanic origin, possibly related to Old Norse blunda (“to doze”) (> Icelandic blunda, Swedish blunda, Danish blunde).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The murderous knife was dull and blunt."
— c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iv]:
"The dinghy was trailing astern at the end of its painter, and Merrion looked at it as he passed. He saw that it was a battered-looking affair of the prahm type, with a blunt snout, and like the parent ship, had recently been painted a vivid green."
— 1944, Miles Burton, The Three Corpse Trick, chapter 5:
"The face which emerged was not reassuring. It was blunt and grey, the nose springing thick and flat from high on the frontal bone of the forehead, whilst his eyes were narrow slits of dark in a tight bandage of tissue. […]."
— 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 17, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
"His wits are not so blunt."
— 1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene v]:
"a plain, blunt man"
— 1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The knife was too ____ to cut through the thick steak.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
This knife is very ____, so it is hard to cut the thick vegetables.