Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.

Bluntness

Definition: Bluntness

Bluntness

Noun

1. The quality of being direct and outspoken; "the bluntness of a Yorkshireman".

2. Without sharpness of edge or point.

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "bluntness" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1605. (references)

 

Specialty Definition: Bluntness

DomainDefinition

Aerospace

A parameter of a conic related to the eccentricity, e, of the conic in the following way: For hyperbolas and prolate ellipses, B = 1- e2 For oblate ellipses,B = 1/(1-e2)Symbol B. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Synonyms: Bluntness

Synonyms: dullness (n), dulness (n). (additional references)
Antonyms: asperity (n), sharpness (n). (additional references)

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Synonyms within Context: Bluntness

ContextSynonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus).

Bluntness

Noun: bluntness; Adjective:

Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus.

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Crosswords: Bluntness

English words defined with "bluntness": Plain speaking. (references)
Specialty definitions using "bluntness": Browns. (references)
Etymologies containing "bluntness": Dullness. (references)

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Modern Usage: Bluntness

DomainUsage

Screenplays

Oh, forgive my bluntness. It's a device I use to cope (Ally McBeal; writing credit: Henri Vernes)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Usage Frequency: Bluntness

"Bluntness" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 100.00% of the time. "Bluntness" is used about 40 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted)
Parts of SpeechPercentUsage per
100 Million Words
Rank in English
Noun (singular)100%4054,274

Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

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Derived & Related Names: Bluntness

The following table summarizes names derived from the word "bluntness".
 
NameGenderLanguageMeaning
KohathN/ABiblical

Bluntness

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

 

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Modern Translation: Bluntness

Language Translations for "bluntness"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.

Arabic 

  

‏فظاظة (acerbity, bad manners, boorishness, brusqueness, coarseness, discourtesy, grossness, gruffness, harshness, impoliteness, roughness, rudeness, uncivility, uncouthness), ‏البلادة (hebetude), ‏إستقامة (consistency, honesty, integrity, justice, probity, propriety, rectitude, righteousness, sanity, squareness, straightforwardness, straightness, virtue). (various references)

   

Bulgarian 

  

тъпота (crassitude, density, dullness, obtuseness, opacity, purblindness, stolidity, stupidity, torpidity, torpor), прямота (candidness, candor, candour, directness, fair dealing, frankness, honesty, sincerity, straightforwardness, straightness). (various references)

   

Chinese 

  

'头度. (various references)

   

Czech

  

příkrost (abruptness, brusqueness, steepness), otevřenost (directness, openness, unreserve). (various references)

   

Finnish

  

tylsyys (apathy, dullness, stupor). (various references)

   

French

  

manque de tranchant, absence de point, état émoussé. (various references)

   

German

  

stumpfheit (dullness, languor, obtuseness, stolidness, stupor). (various references)

   

Greek 

  

αμβλύτησ (obtuseness), απότομο (abruptness, brusqueness, cragginess). (various references)

   

Hebrew 

  

ק"ות (dullness, numbness, sourness, stupor, torpor). (various references)

   

Hungarian

  

tompaság (dullness, obtuseness), butaság (blundering, doltishness, fatuity, folly, piffle, silliness, tosh), tompultság (torpidity, torpidness, torpor), nyerseség (asperity, coarseness, crudity, gruffness, rawness, surliness, unkindness), gorombaság (brusqueness, coarseness, grossness, rudeness, surliness), fesztelenség (ease, easiness, informality, swagger, unreserve), durvaság (barbarism, boorishness, brusqueness, brutality, coarseness, crassness, earthiness, foulness, roughness, scurrility, violence), életlenség, őszinteség (candor, candour, frankness, genuineness, sincereness, sincerity, straightforwardness). (various references)

   

Indonesian

  

ketumpulan (dullness). (various references)

   

Italian

  

ottusit (dullness, obtuseness), franchezza (candidness, candor, candour, frankness, openness, outrightness, outspokenness, straightforwardness). (various references)

   

Japanese Kanji 

  

無愛想 (unsociability). (various references)

   

Japanese Katakana 

  

ぶあいそう (brusqueness, sullenness, unsociability), ぶあいそ (unsociability). (various references)

   

Manx

  

neuvirrid, moandys (dullness, hesitancy, impediment of speech), moandid (dullness, hesitancy, impediment of speech, inarticulate, inarticulateness, slur), moalid, moalaght (disability), bryntys, bryntid (sauciness). (various references)

   

Pig Latin

  

untnessblay.(various references)

   

Romanian

  

tocire, sinceritate (candidness, candor, candour, directness, fairness, faith, frankness, genuineness, guilelessness, honesty, openness, rectitude, roundness, sincerity, truth, unreserve). (various references)

   

Russian 

  

прямота (candor, candour, directness, integrity, openness, plain dealing, rectitude, straight, straightforwardness, uprightness). (various references)

   

Scottish

  

maolad (baldness, bareness. See <A HREF="mf08.html#maoilead">maoilead</A>). (various references)

   

Serbo-Croatian

  

tupost (dullness, stolidity, stupor, thickness, torpidity), nabusitost (haughtiness). (various references)

   

Spanish

  

brusquedad (brusqueness, curtness, sharpness, snappishness, suddenness), franqueza (candidness, candor, candour, directness, fair dealing, frankness, honesty, openness, outspokenness, plain dealing, plainness, single-mindedness, straightforwardness), embotamiento (torpidity, torpor), despuntadura. (various references)

   

Swedish

  

slöhet (aparthy, apathy, dullness, indolence, inertia, languor, lassitude, laziness, lethargy, sloth, spend, torpidity, torpor). (various references)

   

Turkish

  

patavatsızlık (gaucherie, indiscretion, tactlessness), kesmezlik, körelmişlik, açık sözlülük (candor, candour, expansiveness, frankness, freedom, ingenuousness, openness, outspokennes, roundness, straightness). (various references)

   

Vietnamese 

  

tính thẳng thừng, sự cùn tính không giữ ý tứ. (various references)

   

Welsh

  

pylni (dullness). (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

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Derivations & Misspellings: Bluntness

Derivations

Words beginning with "bluntness": bluntnesses. (additional references)


Misspellings

"Bluntness" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: blunkness, bluntnes. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

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Rhyming with "Bluntness"

# of Phoneme MatchesPronunciationWord(s) rhyming with "bluntness" (pronounced blu"ntnus)
5-n t n u sfaintness, gauntness, unpleasantness.
4-t n u sabruptness, absoluteness, acuteness, alertness, appropriateness, astuteness, brightness, compactness, completeness, correctness, cuteness, directness, earnestness, eyewitness, fastness, fitness, flatness, forthrightness, greatness, ineptness, inertness, lateness, lightfastness, lightness, neatness, politeness, quietness, remoteness, rightness, robustness, separateness, shortness, softness, steadfastness, stoutness, sweetness, swiftness, tartness, tightness, vastness, wetness, whiteness, witness.
3-n u saggressiveness, agribusiness, airworthiness, aloofness, alumnus, Anas, androgynous, anise, arbitrariness, assertiveness, asynchronous, attentiveness, attractiveness, awareness, awfulness, awkwardness, backwardness, badness, bagginess, baldness, bearishness, bigness, bitterness, bituminous, blackness, blandness, bleakness, blindness, boldness, bonus, boorishness, brashness, bullishness, business, callousness, calmness, carelessness, casualness, cautiousness, cavernous, cheapness, chitinous, cleanliness, cleanness, cleverness, closeness, cloudiness, clumsiness, cockiness, cohesiveness, coldness, Colonus, combativeness, competitiveness, consciousness, contagiousness, contentiousness, contrariness, Conus, coolness, coziness, craziness, creativeness, creditworthiness, creepiness, crispness, crookedness, dampness, darkness, Deaconess, deadliness, deafness, decisiveness, defensiveness, destructiveness, disingenuousness, distinctiveness, divisiveness, dizziness, dreariness, drowsiness, drunkenness, dryness, dullness, eagerness, edginess, effectiveness, elusiveness, emptiness, evenness, exogenous, fairness, farsightedness, fickleness, firmness, fondness, foolishness, forcefulness, forgiveness, foulness, fractiousness, frankness, freshness, friendliness, frothiness, fullness, funniness, furnace, gayness, gelatinous, gentleness, genuineness, genus, ghastliness, gluttonous, goodness, governess, graciousness, greenness, grimness, hairiness, handedness, happiness, hardness, harmfulness, harness, harshness, heinous, helplessness, highness, hoarseness, holiness, homelessness, homesickness, homogenous, hopefulness, hopelessness, humanness, idleness, illness, inclusiveness, indebtedness, indecisiveness, indigenous, ineffectiveness, intravenous, intrusiveness, inventiveness, joblessness, Johannes, kindness, larcenous, largeness, lawlessness, laziness, lenis, likeness, liveliness, loneliness, lousiness, luminous, madness, Manus, meanness, membranous, menace, Minas, mindedness, minus, monotonous, mountainous, mutinous, narrowness, nastiness, nearsightedness, nervousness, newness, niceness, nitrogenous, nonbusiness, nonpoisonous, nosiness, nothingness, numbness, ominous, oneness, onus, openness, orderliness, otherness, outrageousness, outspokenness, pandanus, peacefulness, penis, permissiveness, persuasiveness, pervasiveness, pettiness, playfulness, poisonous, polygynous, pompousness, possessiveness, powerlessness, preparedness, queasiness, quickness, raciness, randomness, rareness, ravenous, rawness, readiness, reasonableness, rebelliousness, recklessness, redness, resistiveness, resourcefulness, responsiveness, restiveness, restlessness, restrictiveness, richness, righteousness, riskiness, roominess, roughness, rowdiness, rudeness, ruinous, ruthlessness, sacredness, sadness, Salinas, sameness, scantiness, secretiveness, selfishness, selflessness, sensitiveness, seriousness, shakiness, shallowness, sharpness, shortsightedness, shrewdness, shyness, sickness, silliness, sinus, skittishness, slackness, sleepiness, sloppiness, slovenliness, slowness, sluggishness, slyness, smallness, smoothness, smugness, solitariness, soundness, spiritedness, squeamishness, starkness, steadiness, steepness, sternness, stiffness, stillness, stinginess, strangeness, stubbornness, sturdiness, suddenness, suggestiveness, tardiness, tastiness, tenderness, tetanus, thickness, thinness, thoroughness, thoughtfulness, timeliness, tiredness, togetherness, toughness, trustworthiness, truthfulness, ugliness, unconsciousness, uneasiness, unfairness, unhappiness, uniqueness, unwieldiness, unwillingness, usefulness, vagueness, venous, viciousness, villainous, vindictiveness, vividness, voluminous, wariness, wastefulness, waterishness, weakness, weariness, weightlessness, weirdness, wellness, wholeness, wholesomeness, wickedness, wilderness, wildness, willingness, wimpiness, wistfulness, wonderfulness, worldliness, worthiness, wryness.

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

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Anagrams: Bluntness

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

Words within the letters "b-e-l-n-n-s-s-t-u"

-1 letter: sunbelts.

-2 letters: bustles, sublets, subnets, sunbelt, tunnels, unbelts, unblest.

-3 letters: bluest, bluets, blunts, bustle, butles, lunets, sublet, subnet, subset, subtle, sunset, tunnel, tussle, unbelt, unbent, unless, unsent, unsets.

-4 letters: belts, bents, bests, blent, bless, blest, blets, blues, bluet, blunt, bunns, bunts, buses, busts, butes, butle, lubes, lunes, lunet, lunts, lusts, lutes, nests, slubs, slues.

 Words containing the letters "b-e-l-n-n-s-s-t-u"
 

+2 letters: bluntnesses, tunableness.

 

+3 letters: unstableness.

 

+4 letters: bountifulness, tunablenesses, unsustainable.

 

+5 letters: sublieutenants, unstablenesses.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.

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INDEX

1. Definition
2. Synonyms
3. Crosswords
4. Usage: Modern
5. Usage Frequency
6. Names: Derived from
7. Translations: Modern
8. Derivations
9. Rhymes
10. Anagrams
11. Bibliography


  

Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.