blunt
gb/blˈʌnt/ us/blˈʌnt/
B1
Engleză
~ 9100
Sensuri
0 sensuri
adjective
B2
property
1
very direct in speech, even rude
saying what you really think in a very direct way, even if it sounds rude or hard to hear.
Tipar de utilizare:
[someone] is blunt (about [something])
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes confuse 'blunt' with 'brutal' or 'rude'. 'Blunt' focuses on being very direct and not softening your words; it can sound rude, but it does not always mean the person is trying to be unkind. Another confusion is using 'blunt' only for objects; remember it is very common for speech and personality.
Sinonime
direct (neutral word for not hiding what you think; can be kinder than 'blunt'.)
|
frank (often suggests honest openness, not always as harsh as 'blunt'.)
|
straightforward (emphasizes clarity and simplicity more than possible rudeness.)
Antonime
tactful (describes someone who chooses words carefully to avoid hurting others, opposite of bluntness.)
|
diplomatic (stresses being polite and careful in speech, especially in difficult situations.)
Colocații
blunt comment
|blunt answer
|blunt reply
|blunt assessment
|blunt manner
|to be blunt
Teme
communication
|emotions
|personality
Exemple
- I’ll be blunt: we can’t afford to hire you right now.
- She’s known for her blunt comments in meetings, but people trust her honesty.
- He was blunt about the risks, which upset some investors but helped them prepare.
- To be blunt, your presentation was confusing and too long.
- Her blunt style can sound rude, but she never lies about how she feels.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- My boss is very blunt and sometimes hurts my feelings.
- To be blunt, I do not like this plan.
- He gave me a blunt answer and walked away.
- She is blunt, but she is also very honest.
- His blunt words made everyone in the room quiet.
adjective
B1
property
2
not sharp; having a dull edge
not sharp; having a dull edge or end, so it does not cut well.
Tipar de utilizare:
[something] is blunt
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes use 'not sharp' instead of 'blunt'. While correct, native speakers very often say 'a blunt knife' or 'my pencil is blunt'. Also, avoid using 'blunt' to mean 'boring'; for that meaning, use 'dull', not 'blunt'.
Sinonime
dull (common in American English for tools that are not sharp; also means 'boring' in other contexts.)
Antonime
sharp (describes an edge or point that cuts or pierces easily.)
|
pointed (emphasizes having a narrow tip that can pierce or poke.)
Colocații
blunt knife
|blunt blade
|blunt scissors
|blunt pencil
|blunt edge
|blunt instrument
Teme
objects
|daily_life
Exemple
- This knife is too blunt to cut the tomatoes.
- He tried to sharpen his blunt pencil before the exam.
- We were given blunt scissors, so cutting the fabric took forever.
- The surgeon refused to use any tool that felt even slightly blunt.
- The victim had been struck with a blunt instrument, not a knife.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- My kitchen knife is blunt, so I need a new one.
- These scissors are blunt and will not cut paper.
- The pencil is blunt; please sharpen it.
- He hit the nail with a blunt hammer head.
- A blunt knife is safer but does not work well.
Verb
B2
action
3
make an edge or point less sharp
to make something less sharp so it cannot cut or pierce well.
Tipar de utilizare:
to blunt [something]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners often say 'make it not sharp' or only use 'sharpen' and 'dull'. In more formal or technical English, you can say 'blunt the blade' to sound natural. Remember that the object is usually a tool or edge, not a person.
Sinonime
dull (very common verb for making a tool less sharp; slightly more common than 'blunt' in this use.)
Antonime
sharpen (means to make something sharp or sharper, the direct opposite of 'blunt' here.)
Colocații
blunt the blade
|blunt the knife
|blunt the tip
|blunt the edge
Teme
objects
|processes
|daily_life
|work
Exemple
- Cutting on a glass surface will quickly blunt your knives.
- Sand can blunt the blades of the turbine over time.
- He used a stone to blunt the arrowheads for safety training.
- Hitting metal on metal will eventually blunt the chisel.
- The constant contact with bone can blunt surgical instruments.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- Cutting hard plastic will blunt the knife.
- Do not use this saw on metal; it will blunt it.
- Hitting the ground can blunt the point of the stick.
- This machine can blunt the edge of the blade.
- Using the wrong board will blunt your scissors.
Verb
C1
action
4
reduce strength or impact
to make the effect, feeling, or force of something weaker or less strong.
Tipar de utilizare:
to blunt [effect / impact / feeling]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners may try to use 'blunt' with the wrong objects, like 'blunt a problem' or 'blunt a question'. It is usually used with abstract nouns like 'impact', 'effect', 'anger', 'pain', or 'criticism'. Also, do not confuse this with the adjective 'blunt' for people who speak directly.
Sinonime
dampen (commonly used for feelings like enthusiasm or excitement; slightly softer tone than 'blunt'.)
|
soften (stresses making something less harsh or strong, especially criticism or impact.)
Antonime
intensify (means to make something stronger or more extreme, opposite of reducing its effect.)
|
heighten (often used for emotions or effects that become stronger or more noticeable.)
Colocații
blunt the impact
|blunt the effect
|blunt criticism
|blunt enthusiasm
|blunt pain
Teme
emotions
|society
|politics
|communication
Exemple
- Higher interest rates may blunt the impact of rising prices.
- The painkillers helped blunt the worst of the pain.
- The government introduced tax cuts to blunt public anger.
- Her quick apology did little to blunt his criticism.
- Over time, repeated exposure can blunt your emotional response.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- The new law tries to blunt the effect of the crisis.
- Medicine can blunt the pain but not remove it.
- Laughter helped blunt their fear for a short time.
- Good training can blunt the impact of a mistake.
- His kind words could not blunt her sadness.
Substantiv
slang
C1
entity
5
cigar filled with cannabis
a cigar that someone opens and fills with cannabis (marijuana) to smoke.
Tipar de utilizare:
smoke / roll / pass a blunt
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners may think 'blunt' only means 'not sharp' or 'direct in speech' and not recognize this common slang meaning in music or films. Also, do not confuse 'blunt' (cigar-style cannabis) with 'joint', which is usually rolled in thin paper.
Sinonime
weed cigar (informal descriptive phrase; explains the idea but is less common than 'blunt'.)
|
joint (very common word for a cannabis cigarette rolled in paper, not a cigar wrap; related but not identical.)
Colocații
smoke a blunt
|roll a blunt
|pass the blunt
|light a blunt
|share a blunt
Teme
drugs
|youth_culture
|health
|daily_life
Exemple
- They sat on the porch and shared a blunt.
- He bragged about being able to roll a perfect blunt.
- The smell of the blunt filled the whole room.
- She put out the blunt when she heard the police siren.
- The rapper mentioned smoking a blunt in almost every song.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- They rolled a blunt at the party.
- He does not smoke blunts anymore.
- The room smelled like a blunt.
- She passed the blunt to her friend.
- He was arrested for smoking a blunt in public.
adjective
C1
property
6
not precise; lacking subtlety
not careful or exact; describes a tool or action that works in a rough way and cannot make fine changes.
Tipar de utilizare:
[method / tool] is a blunt instrument for [result]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes think 'blunt instrument' always refers to a physical object. In news and analysis, it is often used metaphorically for methods or policies that are not precise or sensitive.
Sinonime
crude (suggests something is basic and not refined; often more negative than 'blunt'.)
|
coarse (emphasizes roughness and lack of refinement or detail.)
Antonime
precise (stresses exactness and fine control, the opposite of a 'blunt' method.)
|
subtle (emphasizes delicate, detailed differences and careful effects.)
Colocații
a blunt instrument
|blunt tool
|blunt policy
|blunt approach
|blunt measure
Teme
politics
|business
|science
|work
Exemple
- Interest rates are a blunt instrument for controlling inflation.
- The new policy is a blunt tool that may hurt small businesses.
- Sanctions are a blunt instrument that often harms ordinary people.
- Cutting staff numbers is a blunt way to reduce costs.
- The algorithm is a blunt instrument when used without human judgment.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- Tax changes are a blunt tool to fix deep problems.
- This rule is a blunt instrument and feels unfair.
- Cutting pay is a blunt way to save money.
- The law is too blunt for such a complex issue.
- Social media bans are a blunt response to the problem.
Substantiv
archaic
C2
entity
7
old use: money
an old slang word that used to mean money.
Sinonime
cash (modern, common word for money in notes and coins; 'blunt' is now rarely used this way.)
Antonime
broke (slang adjective meaning having no money, opposite situation of having 'blunt'.)
Colocații
short of blunt
|raise some blunt
Teme
finance
Exemple
- He hadn’t a bit of blunt in his pocket. (archaic)
- They needed some blunt before they could set off on their journey. (archaic)
- In old novels, you may see 'blunt' used to mean money. (meta-usage)
Exemple pentru cursanți
- In some old books, 'blunt' means money.
- People today almost never say 'blunt' for money.
- You might read 'blunt' as money in an old story.
Gramatică
Forma de dicționar
blunt
IPA
GB/blˈʌnt/
US/blˈʌnt/
Silabe și accent
blunt (1 silabă)
Stress on 1st syllable (blunt)
Forme ale cuvântului
Adjective
- Base: blunt
- Comparative: blunter
- Superlative: bluntest
Verb
- Base: blunt
- 3rd Person Singular: blunts
- Present Participle: blunting
- Past: blunted
Familie de cuvinte
Expresii
a blunt instrument
1/ə blˈʌnt ˈɪnstɹəmənt/
idiom
method or tool lacking precision
a way of doing something that is not careful or exact and may cause side effects or unfair results.
Exemple
- Tax policy is a blunt instrument for reducing inequality.
- Military force is a blunt instrument and often creates new problems.
- Social media bans are a blunt instrument against misinformation.
in blunt terms
1/ˈɪn blˈʌnt tˈɚmz/
fixed phrase
describe something very directly
used when you say something in a very simple and direct way, without soft words.
Exemple
- In blunt terms, the company is almost bankrupt.
- She explained the risks in blunt terms so everyone understood.
- In blunt terms, we are running out of time.
let me be blunt
1/lˈɛt mˈi bˈi blˈʌnt/
fixed phrase
warning before speaking directly
used to warn someone that you are going to speak very directly and honestly.
Exemple
- Let me be blunt: your plan is too risky.
- Let me be blunt, we can’t pay you more right now.
- Let me be blunt, the team does not trust this manager.
smoke a blunt
1/smˈoʊk ə blˈʌnt/
fixed phrase
slang
smoke a cannabis cigar
to smoke a cigar that has been filled with cannabis (marijuana).
Exemple
- They went outside to smoke a blunt behind the club.
- He bragged that he could smoke a blunt by himself.
- She said she only smokes a blunt on weekends.
to be blunt
1/tə bˈi blˈʌnt/
fixed phrase
introduce a very direct remark
used before you say something very direct that might sound rude or hard to hear.
Exemple
- To be blunt, I don’t think this project will succeed.
- To be blunt, your report is not good enough.
- To be blunt, we need to cut costs or we will close.
blunt force trauma
1/blˈʌnt fˈɔɹs tɹˈɔmə/
fixed phrase
technical
injury from a non-sharp impact
a medical or police term for injury caused when a heavy, not sharp object hits the body.
Exemple
- The victim died from blunt force trauma to the head.
- The autopsy revealed that he died from blunt force trauma to the chest.
- The report stated that blunt force trauma was the cause of death.
- Blunt force trauma is common in car crashes and falls.
- She suffered blunt force trauma after falling from the ladder.