point blank
9
5.0
- idiom
- /pɔɪnt blæŋk/
- Informal
- She told her boss point blank that she needed a raise to stay motivated.
- asked point blank
- said point blank
- told me point blank
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Watch on YouTubeYou may say point blank it ended because he had an affair, but you're never going to know if it had the desired effect.
- You may say point blank it ended because he had an affair, but you're never going to know if it had the desired effect.
Examples
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And yet, I asked him, point blank, "Why don't you leave?"
Blog text (16) -
Do yourself a favor—just ask her about her past, point blank.
Fiction book (1997) -
We tell him point blank how to get her back.
-
In the last episode, Dean told us, point blank, that Sam should never, ever be forgiven for anything he has done.
Blog text (29) -
Everything looks easier when you're not the one who has to do it or go through it, point blank.
Blog text (9) -
Once again he asked me point blank why I'm staying here, and I said, "I don't know, I guess I must love her."
Fiction book (1991) -
Point blank, I asked, "Did Joyce break your heart?"
Fiction book (2001) -
Ask him, point blank, whether a few pounds is enough to jeopardize his daughter's life.
Blog text (13) -
She runs her hand over her messy hair and then asks, point blank, if they've gotten any closer to having a kid.
Fiction book (2001) -
Let your pharmacist know which prescriptions you're taking and ask point blank, "How can I save more money?"
Blog text (5)
Synonyms
392
1.6
In an honest and direct way
146
3.9
A person uses clear, direct words so there is no doubt
88
1.4
In a clear honest way, saying what you think
55
3.7
In a direct and firm way without avoiding the issue
45
4.6
In a firm way that shows no doubt
43
7.9
Used to say something is completely honest without exaggeration
40
4.6
In a direct way that is not polite
36
4.3
Directly and openly, without hiding or delay
21
7.0
To say something plainly without hiding feelings
19
5.6
Direct and blunt without trying to hide the truth
7
6.7
In a direct and honest way without hiding anything
5
3.9
In a clear, honest way without hiding anything
4
6.1
Completely direct with no doubt or excuse
3
7.2
In a plain, direct way that does not make bad news seem softer
2
4.4
In a direct and blunt way
1
7.4
In a direct and honest way without hiding feelings or opinions
In a direct, sometimes abrupt way that shows little patience
In a complete and direct way, without any doubt
Antonyms
How Direct
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'in a direct and blunt manner' is not transparently built from the literal constituents 'point' (aim/point) and 'blank' (empty/uncomprehending). The adverbial sense is idiomatic, historically derived from a shooting term (point-blank range), and its pragmatic bluntness is not a predictable composition for a B1 learner who only knows the parts.
Etymology
Point blank may come from old shooting. It paints the image of a shooter standing so close they can aim at the exact point of a target and hit the bright blank mark without moving the gun, so the phrase came to mean 'directly and without evasion'.