Blunt

Part of speech: adjective, verb

Pronunciation: /blʌnt/

Definitions

1. Not sharp or pointed; dull in edge or end, or straightforward and direct in speech without politeness
2. Having an edge or tip that is rounded or worn down so it does not cut easily ; speaking clearly and honestly without softening harsh truths
3. Lacking sharpness or a keen end that can slice ; expressing thoughts or opinions in a straightforward and unreserved way

Etymology: Blunt once meant "dull-eyed" or "dazed" before it described a dull edge. Its earliest ancestor in English, Old English "blunt," probably came from a North Germanic source, and it may be linked to the Old Norse verb "blunda," meaning "to shut the eyes" or "to doze." That connection is the reason it sits beside "blind" in related languages, where blind has also been used for something that does not do its job. The bridge from eyes to edges runs through weapons. Scandinavian and German soldiers used a term, "blind," for a dummy round or grenade, the opposite of "skarp," meaning live ammunition and literally "sharp." A blunt object was one that lacked a working point, so the sense of dullness came to describe edges and tools, and eventually the bluntness of a person's speech. The verb "blunt," meaning to make dull, developed from the adjective in Middle English, when the word was spelled "blunten" or "blonten."

Synonyms: dull, straightforward, frank, direct, abridged

Antonyms: sharp, tactful, subtle, keen, nuanced