blunt

comparative blunter · superlative bluntest

1. Having a thick edge or point; not sharp.

   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]

   2 more examples

   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

   Synonyms: dull, pointless, coarse, obtuse

2. Dull in understanding; slow of discernment; opposed to acute.

   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]

   Synonyms: stupid, obtuse

3. Abrupt in address; plain; unceremonious; wanting in the forms of civility; rough in manners or speech.

   I was taken aback by the blunt admission that he had never liked my company.

   1 more example

   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]

   Synonyms: curt, short, rude, brusque, impolite, uncivil, harsh, robust

4. Hard to impress or penetrate.

   December 30, 1736, Alexander Pope, letter to Jonathan Swift I find my heart hardened and blunt to new impressions.

5. Slow or deficient in feeling: insensitive.

plural blunts

1. countableuncountableA fencer's practice foil with a soft tip.
2. countableuncountableA short needle with a strong point.
3. UScountableslanguncountablelifestyleA marijuana cigar.

   […] to make his point, lead rapper B-Real fired up a blunt in front of the cameras and several hundred thousand people and announced, “I'm taking a hit for every one of y'all!”

   2004, Martin Torgoff, “The Temple of Accumulated Error”, in Can’t Find My Way Home: America in the Great Stoned Age, 1945–2000, New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 461

   Synonyms: bifta, bifter, bogie, bomber, bone, bun, Camberwell carrot, doink

4. UKarchaicslanguncountableMoney.

   Down he goes to the Commons, to see the lawyer and draw the blunt[…]

   1836 March – 1837 October, Charles Dickens, chapter 10, in The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1837, →OCLC

   Synonyms: ackers, bees and honey, bones, brass, bread, bread and honey, Bugs Bunny, cake

5. countableuncountableA playboating move resembling a cartwheel performed on a wave.

present singular third person blunts · participle present blunting · participle past blunted · past blunted

1. To dull the edge or point of, by making it thicker; to make blunt.
2. figurativelyTo repress or weaken; to impair the force, keenness, or susceptibility, of

   It blunted my appetite.

   3 more examples

   My feeling towards her have been blunted.

   That settled the Merseysiders for a short while but it did not blunt the home side's spirit.

   2011 January 12, Saj Chowdhury, “Liverpool 2 - 1 Liverpool”, in BBC

   I'm not saying that thousands of folk are not being inconvenienced, because they most certainly are, but the impact of strikes on government has been blunted.

   2022 August 24, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Rail strikes deadlock”, in RAIL, number 964, page 3

plural Blunts

1. countableuncountableA surname transferred from the nickname.
2. countableuncountableA minor city in Hughes County, South Dakota, United States.