POINT-BLANK Synonyms: 129 Similar and Opposite Words

point-blank 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of point-blank

as in straight-out

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Dissimilar Words

point-blank

2 of 2

adverb

as in brusquely

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of point-blank

Adjective

San Jose’s second-half substitute Preston Judd had a pair of chances after coming on at the hour mark, but the first shot was over the crossbar and the second was saved at point-blank range by Marcinkowski. — Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026 Over the previous 18 months, two men had been gunned down point-blank at Vietnamese cafes. — Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026 Officers said two people reportedly met at a nearby shopping center, but the suspect at some point exited the truck and shot the victim at point-blank range. — Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026 Jones, often Roach’s rotational partner at nose tackle for the last two seasons, offered a point-blank endorsement of Roach as a starter for 2026. — Luca Evans, Denver Post, 5 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for point-blank

Recent Examples of Synonyms for point-blank

Adjective

When’s the last time everyone straight-out applauded the Dolphins draft?

— Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026
Are people just straight-out living here under those blue tarps?

— Kristin Dombek, Harpers Magazine, 21 Apr. 2026

Definition of straight-out

Adverb

Yet, White House officials told me, Biden sometimes brusquely dismissed the views of both men, raising his voice as though berating children.

— David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
In some instances, judges brusquely threw cases out of court after prosecutors walked in with little evidence.

— Brian Rokos, Daily News, 7 May 2026

Definition of brusquely

Adjective

Katarzyna Nowakowska, Poland's deputy minister for family, labor and social policy, told the AP that the most vulnerable applicants still receive direct help from the state and any other refugees needing support should turn to social workers.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026
To enjoy it past its best-by date safely, store your tea bags in a cool, dry place away from heat, humidity, and direct sunlight, Tucker says.

— Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of direct

Adverb

However, looking at the market reaction, Samsung shares fell sharply after the South Korean stock market opened today.

— , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
But its arrivals-to-departures ratio—a measure of hires relative to exits—has fallen sharply, from about 12-to-1 in the second quarter of 2023 to roughly 2-to-1 in the third quarter of 2026, according to Zeki’s data.

— Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of sharply

Adjective

And, to be frank, this production just doesn’t achieve the necessary conversational reality.

— Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026
Panettiere similarly tackled the issue of mental health with frank discussions about her own struggles with substance abuse and postpartum depression.

— Edward Segarra, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of frank

Adverb

Another shock to the neighborhood came in May, when Caputo’s Bake Shop, a Court Street landmark for 124 years, abruptly shut down.

— Rachel Corbett, Curbed, 31 Aug. 2026
This is one family’s experience of their last year in Connecticut after major hospitals abruptly ended gender-affirming medical care for trans youth.

— Dr. SJ Job, Hartford Courant, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of abruptly

Adjective

In a new profile for Who What Wear, the 29-year-old Kylie Cosmetics and Khy co-founder got candid about having kids at a young age.

— Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026
Bessent gave a telling and surprisingly candid response when CNN’s Kevin Liptak noted D-Day in 1944 was an actual invasion, not a threat to invade, and asked why Treasury did not take immediate action.

— Matt Egan, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of candid

Adverb

Rose’s relationship with her father, too, is unusual in its unresolved jaggedness, while Sisto’s gruffly on-edge performance points to a deeper well of adult pain in Wes that his daughter cannot yet manage or comprehend.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 8 June 2026
Chief among the familiar faces is Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the stoic, gruffly professional explosives-disposal expert Major Will Tranter, who shows up at a construction site in the heart of London where an unexploded, 1,000-pound WWII bomb has just been found.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2026

Definition of gruffly

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“Point-blank.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/point-blank. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of point-blank

adjective

adverb

Example Sentences

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Cite this Entry

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