blunts

verb

present tense third-person singular of blunt
as in reduces
to reduce or weaken in strength or feeling the mushy music blunted the effect of the movie's final tragic scene

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 blunts The opinion blunts a major attack line Democrats have used, especially against Moody and Uthmeier. — Liv Caputo, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026 But Democrats are celebrating the decision, which blunts some of the Supreme Court’s ruling earlier this year allowing more coordinated spending between parties and candidates. — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2026 And that success blunts the effectiveness of what the Iranians are trying to do at the Strait of Hormuz. — CBS News, 9 Aug. 2026 Several studies show that dietary fiber blunts the blood sugar response, helping prevent spikes and dips. — Brittany Lubeck, Verywell Health, 8 July 2026 The cinematography drains vitality from even its most visually obvious ideas with lighting that blunts the impact of nearly every other department. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 25 Mar. 2026 By this decade, your body has started to naturally lose muscle mass, and putting on new muscle may be more difficult due to anabolic resistance, which blunts the muscle’s ability to respond to external stimuli like exercise and protein. — Emma Loewe, Outside, 1 Jan. 2026 For Sanders, landing and holding a blue-chip defensive back during a losing season is a massive recruiting win that blunts any narratives of recruits fleeing the program. — Rowan Fisher-Shotton, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025 For Singh, Stargate blunts the essence of the Clayton Act by potentially eliminating competition down the road. — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 23 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blunts
  1. reduces
  2. dulls
  3. numbs
  4. deadens
  5. diminishes
  6. weakens
  7. dampens
  8. decreases
Verb
  • Billable hour pressure The billable hour is central to the business model of many law firms, but when AI significantly reduces the time lawyers spend sifting through and drafting documents, the economics are no longer so straightforward.
    — Lindsay Dodgson, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026
  • It can also be equipped with an SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) system that reduces nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by up to 70 percent to meet IMO Tier III regulations.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of reduces
Verb
  • Monét sings prettily on both duets, but their conventionality dulls her shine.
    — Molly Mary O’Brien, Pitchfork, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Key Takeaways Airborne hydrogen sulfide dulls silver, so many pieces need regular cleaning.
    — Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of dulls
Verb
  • The slime of some species also numbs an attacker’s tongue, protecting them from predators.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 July 2026
  • This is the type of consistency that numbs fans from their love of the game.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2026
Definition of numbs
Verb
  • Oppressively hot, lie-down-and-take-a-nap hot, hydration-break hot, the kind of hot that deadens feet.
    — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 10 July 2026
Definition of deadens
Verb
  • Pyrad works by instantaneously thickening when exposed to fire, forming a char that diminishes heat exposure, extinguishes flames, and decreases the risk of third-degree burns.
    — Derek Rose, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
  • By effectively raising the threshold in the playoffs, the NFL acknowledges that over-officiating diminishes the product and that marginal penalties should not decide its most important games.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of diminishes
Verb
  • If one connection weakens, Halo can use other available links to preserve connectivity.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Precipitation is expected to gradually taper off Thursday afternoon as the storm system moves east and weakens.
    — Callie Zanandrie, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of weakens
Verb
  • That’s in no small part because of a strong, brewing El Niño, which typically dampens Atlantic hurricanes with unfavorable wind conditions.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The Science Behind The Concept Research indicates that music reduces cortisol levels​, the stress hormone that impairs decision-making and dampens focus.
    — Roy Ward, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of dampens
Verb
  • In addition, insulin sensitivity — or how effectively the body responds to the hormone insulin — also generally decreases at night.
    — Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The drink—also known simply as beet juice—decreases inflammation and is rich in nitrates, which help relax blood vessels and allow blood to flow more freely.
    — Christina Manian, HEALTH, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of decreases

Browse Nearby Words

bluntness
blunts
blur
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Cite this Entry

“Blunts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blunts. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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