Meanings
- not comparableThe distance between a gun and a target such that it requires minimal effort in aiming it. In particular no allowance needs to be made for effects of gravity, target movement or wind in aiming the projectile.
- not comparableBlunt, outright.
Again I had an opportunity of asking him a point blank question, and again my delicacy prevented me from forcing another man to confide in me.
1887, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “A Study in Scarlet”, in Beeton’s Christmas Annual, London; New York, N.Y.: Ward, Lock & Co., part I (Being a reprint from the reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D., […]), chapter II (The Science of Deduction), page 111 more example
Here I was brought into point blank collison with Rev. Dr. Cox, who made me the subject not only of bitter remark in the convention, but also of a long denunciatory letter published in the New York Evangelist and other American papers.
1855, Frederick Douglass, chapter XXIV, in My Bondage and My Freedom. […], New York; Auburn, N.Y.: Miller, Orton & Mulligan […], →OCLC
- not comparableHorizontally (as the angle at which a projectile is launched); directly or straight (at the target).
- idiomaticnot comparableDirectly; bluntly; without pretense or caution.
I asked him point blank whether he was cheating on his wife.
1 more example
There’s a neighbor named Brace Dunlap that’s been wanting to marry their Benny for three months, and at last they told him point blank and once for all, he COULDN’T; so he has soured on them, and they’re worried about it.
1896, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter I, in Tom Sawyer, Detective
Translations
Bulgarian от упор, решително
- от упор (ot upor)straight at the target
- решително (rešitelno)directly; bluntly; without pretense or caution
- категорично (kategorično)directly; bluntly; without pretense or caution
French à bout portant, tout de go
- à bout portantstraight at the target
- tout de godirectly; bluntly; without pretense or caution
- de but en blancdirectly; bluntly; without pretense or caution
German in Kernschussweite
- in Kernschussweitestraight at the target
Hebrew בטווח אפס
- בטווח אפס (batvákh éfes)straight at the target
Hungarian kerek perec
- kerek perecdirectly; bluntly; without pretense or caution
Italian a bruciapelo, a bruciapelo
- a bruciapelostraight at the target
- a bruciapelodirectly; bluntly; without pretense or caution
Japanese 単刀直入
- 単刀直入 (tantōchokunyū)directly; bluntly; without pretense or caution
Polish bezpośredni, bezpośrednio
- bezpośredniTranslations
- bezpośredniostraight at the target
- bezpośredniodirectly; bluntly; without pretense or caution
- wprostdirectly; bluntly; without pretense or caution
- bez ogródekdirectly; bluntly; without pretense or caution
Portuguese à queima-roupa, à queima-roupa
- à queima-roupastraight at the target
- à queima-roupadirectly; bluntly; without pretense or caution
Russian в лоб, напряму́ю
- в лоб (v lob)directly; bluntly; without pretense or caution
- напряму́ю (naprjamúju)directly; bluntly; without pretense or caution
- в упо́р (v upór)directly; bluntly; without pretense or caution
Spanish a bocajarro, a quemarropa
- a bocajarroTranslations
- a quemarropaTranslations
- a quemarropastraight at the target
- de punta en blancostraight at the target
- de punto en blancostraight at the target
- a bocajarrostraight at the target
- a quemarropadirectly; bluntly; without pretense or caution
- a bocajarrodirectly; bluntly; without pretense or caution
- sin paños calientesdirectly; bluntly; without pretense or caution
Cite this entry
point blank. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/point%20blank
“point blank.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/point%20blank. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “point blank,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/point%20blank.
Source: point blank on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.