blunt

Everyday

1. Not sharp; having an edge or point that does not cut well. tree →
2. Saying what you think very directly, without trying to be polite. tree →
3. As a verb, to make less sharp. tree →

In the lessons

In safety lessons, children use scissors with blunt (rounded) ends. In cooking, a blunt knife can be more dangerous because it slips. In manners lessons, being blunt can hurt feelings, so we try to be honest but kind. Phrases: blunt pencil, blunt knife, blunt scissors, to be blunt, blunt end.

Examples

• My pencil is blunt; I need to sharpen it. tree →
• Young children use scissors with blunt ends. tree →
• A blunt knife can slip and cut you. tree →
• To be blunt, your story was too long. tree →
• She gave a blunt answer. tree →
• Cutting the cardboard blunted the scissors. tree →
• He is no tree trunk to sharpen thy blunt claws upon. tree →

Note

Comparatives: blunter, bluntest. The opposite is "sharp". "Bluntly" means very directly. Kindness: you can be truthful without being blunt.

In Jewish tradition

In Ecclesiastes it describes an iron tool whose edge is dull, so it takes more strength to use.

Interpretation. Tradition reads it as a lesson that wisdom saves effort: a wise person prepares well and works smarter, not only harder.

Examples

• If the iron be blunt, and one do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength; but wisdom is profitable to direct. (Writings ECC.10.10, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Comparatives: blunter, bluntest. The opposite is "sharp". "Bluntly" means very directly. Kindness: you can be truthful without being blunt.