Blunt vs. Sharp
Difference Between Blunt and Sharp
Bluntadjective
Having a dull edge or end; not sharp.
Sharpadjective
Having a thin edge or a fine point suitable for or capable of cutting or piercing.
Bluntadjective
Abrupt and often disconcertingly frank in speech
"People [in the Western US] are blunt with one another, sometimes even cruel, believing honesty is stronger medicine than sympathy" (Gretel Ehrlich).Sharpadjective
Having clear form and detail
a sharp photographic image.Bluntadjective
Stark; unadorned
"The blunt truth ... is that he is devoid of political courage" (Jeff Jacoby).Sharpadjective
Terminating in an edge or a point
sharp angular cliffs.a sharp nose.Bluntadjective
Slow to perceive, understand, or feel; dull or insensitive
"I felt blunt with shock when I heard the news" (Sallie Bingham).Sharpadjective
Clearly and distinctly set forth
sharp contrasts in behavior.Bluntverb
To dull the edge of (a knife, for example).
Sharpadjective
Abrupt or acute
a sharp drop.a sharp turn.Bluntverb
To make less effective; weaken
blunting the criticism with a smile.Sharpadjective
Intellectually penetrating; astute
was sharp in his analysis of the problem.Bluntverb
To become blunt
When the scraper blade blunts, you will have to replace it.Sharpadjective
Marked by keenness and accuracy of perception
sharp hearing.Bluntnoun
A cigar whose interior has been hollowed out and filled with marijuana.
Sharpadjective
Crafty or deceitful, as in business dealings
sharp selling practices.Bluntnoun
A marijuana cigarette that has been rolled in a cigar's tobacco leaf wrapper instead of rolling paper.
Sharpadjective
Vigilant; alert
kept a sharp lookout for shoplifters.Bluntadjective
Having a thick edge or point; not sharp.
Sharpadjective
Briskly or keenly cold and cutting
a sharp wind.Bluntadjective
Dull in understanding; slow of discernment; opposed to acute.
Sharpadjective
Harsh or biting in tone or character
sharp criticism.Bluntadjective
Abrupt in address; plain; unceremonious; wanting the forms of civility; rough in manners or speech.
the blunt admission that he had never liked my companySharpadjective
Fierce or impetuous; violent
a sharp temper.a sharp assault.Bluntadjective
Hard to impress or penetrate.
Sharpadjective
Intense; severe
a sharp pain.Bluntadjective
Slow or deficient in feeling: insensitive.
Sharpadjective
Sudden and shrill
a sharp whistle.Bluntnoun
A fencer's practice foil with a soft tip.
Sharpadjective
Sudden and brilliant or dazzling
a sharp flash of lightning.Bluntnoun
A short needle with a strong point.
Sharpadjective
Strongly affecting the senses of smell and taste
a sharp pungent odor.a sharp cheese.Bluntnoun
(smoking) A marijuana cigar.
Sharpadjective
Composed of hard angular particles
sharp sand.Bluntnoun
money
Sharpadjective
Raised in pitch by a semitone.
Bluntnoun
A playboating move resembling a cartwheel performed on a wave.
Sharpadjective
Being above the proper pitch.
Bluntverb
To dull the edge or point of, by making it thicker; to make blunt.
Sharpadjective
Having the key signature in sharps.
Bluntverb
(figuratively) To repress or weaken; to impair the force, keenness, or susceptibility, of
It blunted my appetite.My feeling towards her have been blunted.Sharpadjective
(Informal) Attractive or stylish
a sharp jacket.Bluntverb
make less intense;
blunted emotionsSharpadverb
In a sharp manner
hit me sharp on the brow.Bluntverb
make numb or insensitive;
The shock numbed her sensesSharpadverb
Punctually; exactly
at three o'clock sharp.Bluntverb
make dull or blunt;
Too much cutting dulls the knife's edgeSharpadverb
(Music) Above the true or proper pitch.
Bluntverb
make less sharp;
blunt the knivesSharpnoun
A sign (♯) used to indicate that a note is to be raised by a semitone.
Bluntverb
make less lively, intense, or vigorous; impair in vigor, force, activity, or sensation;
Terror blunted her feelingsdeaden a soundSharpnoun
A note that is raised a semitone.
Bluntadjective
having a broad or rounded end;
thick marks made by a blunt pencilSharpnoun
A slender sewing needle with a very fine point.
Bluntadjective
used of a knife or other blade; not sharp;
a blunt instrumentSharpnoun
A hypodermic needle
a canister for disposing of used sharps.Bluntadjective
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion;
blunt talking and straight shootinga blunt New England farmerI gave them my candid opinionforthright criticisma forthright approach to the problemtell me what you think--and you may just as well be frankit is possible to be outspoken without being rudeplainspoken and to the pointa point-blank accusationSharpnoun
An expert.
Bluntadjective
devoid of any qualifications or disguise or adornment;
the blunt truththe crude factsfacing the stark reality of the deadlineSharpnoun
A shrewd cheater; a sharper.
Sharpverb
To raise in pitch by a semitone.
Sharpverb
To play or sing above the proper pitch.
Sharpadjective
Able to cut easily.
I keep my knives sharp so that they don't slip unexpectedly while carving.Sharpadjective
(colloquial) Intelligent.
My nephew is a sharp lad; he can count to 100 in six languages, and he's only five years old.Sharpadjective
Terminating in a point or edge; not obtuse or rounded.
Ernest made the pencil too sharp and accidentally stabbed himself with it.a sharp hill; a face with sharp featuresSharpadjective
(music) Higher than usual by one semitone (denoted by the symbol ♯ after the name of the note).
Sharpadjective
(music) Higher in pitch than required.
The orchestra's third violin several times was sharp about an eighth of a tone.Sharpadjective
Having an intense, acrid flavour.
Milly couldn't stand sharp cheeses when she was pregnant, because they made her nauseated.Sharpadjective
Sudden and intense.
A pregnant woman during labor normally experiences a number of sharp contractions.Sharpadjective
(colloquial) Illegal or dishonest.
Michael had a number of sharp ventures that he kept off the books.Sharpadjective
(colloquial) Keenly or unduly attentive to one's own interests; shrewd.
a sharp dealer;a sharp customerSharpadjective
Exact, precise, accurate; keen.
You'll need sharp aim to make that shot.Sharpadjective
Offensive, critical, or acrimonious.
sharp criticismWhen the two rivals met, first there were sharp words, and then a fight broke out.Sharpadjective
(colloquial) Stylish or attractive.
You look so sharp in that tuxedo!Sharpadjective
Observant; alert; acute.
Keep a sharp watch on the prisoners. I don't want them to escape!Sharpadjective
Forming a small angle; especially, forming an angle of less than ninety degrees.
Drive down Main for three quarters of a mile, then make a sharp right turn onto Pine.Sharpadjective
Steep; precipitous; abrupt.
a sharp ascent or descent; a sharp turn or curveSharpadjective
Said of as extreme a value as possible.
Sure, any planar graph can be five-colored. But that result is not sharp: in fact, any planar graph can be four-colored. That is sharp: the same can't be said for any lower number.Sharpadjective
(chess) Tactical; risky.
Sharpadjective
Piercing; keen; severe; painful.
a sharp pain; the sharp and frosty winter airSharpadjective
Eager or keen in pursuit; impatient for gratification.
a sharp appetiteSharpadjective
(obsolete) Fierce; ardent; fiery; violent; impetuous.
Sharpadjective
Composed of hard, angular grains; gritty.
Sharpadjective
Uttered in a whisper, or with the breath alone; aspirated; unvoiced.
Sharpadverb
To a point or edge; piercingly; eagerly; sharply.
Sharpadverb
(notcomp) Exactly.
I'll see you at twelve o'clock sharp.Sharpadverb
(music) In a higher pitch than is correct or desirable.
I didn't enjoy the concert much because the tenor kept going sharp on the high notes.Sharpnoun
(music) The symbol ♯, placed after the name of a note in the key signature or before a note on the staff to indicate that the note is to be played a semitone higher.
The pitch pipe sounded out a perfect F♯ (F sharp).Transposition frequently is harder to read because of all the sharps and flats on the staff.Sharpnoun
(music) A note that is played a semitone higher than usual; denoted by the name of the note that is followed by the symbol ♯.
Sharpnoun
(music) A note that is sharp in a particular key.
The piece was difficult to read after it had been transposed, since in the new key many notes were sharps.Sharpnoun
(music) The scale having a particular sharp note as its tonic.
Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" is written in C♯ minor (C sharp minor.)Sharpnoun
Something that is sharp.
Place sharps in the specially marked red container for safe disposal.Sharpnoun
A sharp tool or weapon.
Sharpnoun
(medicine) A hypodermic syringe.
Sharpnoun
A scalpel or other edged instrument used in surgery.
Sharpnoun
A dishonest person; a cheater.
The casino kept in the break room a set of pictures of known sharps for the bouncers to see.This usage is often classified as variant spelling of shark, and unrelated to the 'pointed' or 'cutting' meanings of sharp.Sharpnoun
Part of a stream where the water runs very rapidly.
Sharpnoun
A sewing needle with a very slender point, more pointed than a blunt or a between.
Sharpnoun
(in the plural) Fine particles of husk mixed with coarse particle of flour of cereals; middlings.
Sharpnoun
An expert.
Sharpnoun
A sharpie (member of Australian gangs of the 1960s and 1970s).
Sharpverb
(music) To raise the pitch of a note half a step making a natural note a sharp.
That new musician must be tone deaf: he sharped half the notes of the song!Sharpverb
To play tricks in bargaining; to act the sharper.
Sharpverb
To sharpen.
Sharpnoun
a musical notation indicating one half step higher than the note named
Sharpnoun
a long thin sewing needle with a sharp point
Sharpadjective
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined;
a sharp photographic imagethe sharp crack of a twigthe crisp snap of dry leaves underfootSharpadjective
ending in a sharp point
Sharpadjective
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions;
an acute observer of politics and politiciansincisive commentsicy knifelike reasoningas sharp and incisive as the stroke of a fangpenetrating insightfrequent penetrative observationsSharpadjective
marked by practical hardheaded intelligence;
a smart businessmanan astute tenant always reads the small print in a leasehe was too shrewd to go along with them on a road that could lead only to their overthrowSharpadjective
harsh;
sharp criticisma sharp-worded exchangea tart remarkSharpadjective
high-pitched and sharp;
piercing screamsa shrill whistleSharpadjective
extremely steep;
an abrupt canyonthe precipitous rapids of the upper riverthe precipitous hills of Chinese paintingsa sharp dropSharpadjective
keenly and painfully felt; as if caused by a sharp edge or point;
a sharp painsharp windsSharpadjective
very penetrating and clear and sharp in operation;
an incisive minda keen intelligenceof sharp and active intellectSharpadjective
having or made by a thin edge or sharp point; suitable for cutting or piercing;
a sharp knifea pencil with a sharp pointSharpadjective
sour or bitter in taste
Sharpadjective
raised in pitch by one chromatic semitone;
C sharpB naturalSharpadjective
very sudden and in great amount or degree;
a sharp drop in the stock marketSharpadjective
quick and forceful;
a sharp blowSharpadverb
changing suddenly in direction and degree;
the road twists sharply after the lightturn sharp left here
