characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion; "blunt talking and straight shooting"; "a blunt New England farmer"; "I gave them my candid opinion"; "forthright criticism"; "a forthright approach to the problem"; "tell me what you think--and you may just as well be frank"; "it is possible to be outspoken without being rude"; "plainspoken and to the point"; "a point-blank accusation"
Used in a Sentence
point-blank
How to use point-blank in a sentence. Example sentences and definitions for point-blank.
Editorial note
Europeans tell you, point-blank, that they think your idea sucks.
Examples6
Definitions3
Parts of speech2
Quick take
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion; "blunt talking and straight shooting"; "a blunt New England farmer"; "I gave them my candid opinion"; "forthright criticism"; "a forthright approach to the problem"; "tell me what you think--and you may just as well be frank"; "it is possible to be outspoken without being rude"; "plainspoken and to the point"; "a point-blank accusation"
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of point-blank gathered in one view.
close enough to go straight to the target; "point-blank range"; "a point-blank shot"
in a direct and unequivocal manner; "I asked him point-blank whether he wanted the job"
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for point-blank.
adjective
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion; "blunt talking and straight shooting"; "a blunt New England farmer"; "I gave them my candid opinion"; "forthright criticism"; "a forthright approach to the problem"; "tell me what you think--and you may just as well be frank"; "it is possible to be outspoken without being rude"; "plainspoken and to the point"; "a point-blank accusation"
See also: blunt, candid, forthright, frank, free-spoken, outspoken, plainspoken, straight-from-the-shoulder
adjective
close enough to go straight to the target; "point-blank range"; "a point-blank shot"
adverb
in a direct and unequivocal manner; "I asked him point-blank whether he wanted the job"
Example sentences
Europeans tell you, point-blank, that they think your idea sucks.
He was asked point-blank by a patient, "I've been reading that with diet and exercise I might be able to reverse my heart disease.
One of the things they train us to do is, if we suspect someone might be considering suicide, to ask point-blank: "Are you thinking about hurting yourself.
Also, everything takes place at what would, even with modern military hardware, be considered point-blank range.
Someone once asked me point-blank at lunch why I wanted to publish an invention/discovery of mine in a research paper, why I didn't just go found a start-up based on it.
The German panzers, with their short 50mm and 75mm guns, could only penetrate the thick armor of the T-34 from point-blank range of 100m or less, but the T-34 could destroy the poorly armored Pz III and Pz IV from up to 1,000m.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use point-blank in a sentence?
Europeans tell you, point-blank, that they think your idea sucks.
What does point-blank mean?
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion; "blunt talking and straight shooting"; "a blunt New England farmer"; "I gave them my candid opinion"; "forthright criticism"; "a forthright approach to the problem"; "tell me what you think--and you may just as well be frank"; "it is possible to be outspoken without being rude"; "plainspoken and to the point"; "a point-blank accusation"
What part of speech is point-blank?
point-blank is commonly used as adjective, adverb.