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Synonyms

point-blank

American  
[point-blangk] / ˈpɔɪntˈblæŋk /

adjective

  1. aimed or fired straight at the mark especially from close range; direct.

  2. straightforward, plain, or explicit.

    a point-blank denial.

adverb

  1. with a direct aim; directly; straight.

  2. bluntly; frankly.

    She told him point-blank that he was not welcome.
point-blank British  

adjective

    1. aimed or fired at a target so close that it is unnecessary to make allowance for the drop in the course of the projectile

    2. permitting such aim or fire without loss of accuracy

      at point-blank range

  2. plain or blunt

    a point-blank question
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

  1. directly or straight

  2. plainly or bluntly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of point-blank

First recorded in 1565–75

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.