bluntly C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈblʌntli/ UK /ˈblʌntli/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adv in a direct, frank manner without softening the message She told him bluntly that his plan would never work. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adv · in a direct, frank manner... franklydirectlycandidlyplainlyforthrightlybrusquelycurtly ↔ Opposites tactfullydiplomaticallysubtly Word family Related forms bluntbluntness Etymology AI details From blunt + -ly; blunt is from Middle English blunt ('dull, obtuse'), of obscure origin, perhaps Scandinavian. blunt Middle English View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # bluntly **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adv **IPA (US):** /ˈblʌntli/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈblʌntli/ ## Meanings 1. in a direct, frank manner without softening the message ## Examples - She told him bluntly that his plan would never work. ## Synonyms - frankly - directly - candidly - plainly - forthrightly - brusquely - curtly ## Antonyms - tactfully - diplomatically - subtly ## Related Forms - blunt - bluntness ## Roots and Affixes - Root: blunt ## Etymology From blunt + -ly; blunt is from Middle English blunt ('dull, obtuse'), of obscure origin, perhaps Scandinavian. ## AI Etymology Bluntly comes from blunt + -ly; blunt is from Middle English blunt ('dull, obtuse'), of obscure origin, perhaps Scandinavian. The historical trail runs through blunt in Middle English. Morphologically, bluntly is transparent: it draws on blunt + -ly. Used as an adverb, bluntly now means "in a direct, frank manner without softening the message", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in related forms such as blunt and bluntness. That uncertainty is part of the entry: the safest account is the attested form and the limited comparisons preserved with it. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown