Hi,
Please tell me the differences between ‘dull’ and ‘blunt’. Thanks much.
It depends on what you are talking about. For example, a job can be dull but not blunt. A knife can be blunt but not dull.[YSaerTTEW443543]
TOEIC listening, photographs: London[YSaerTTEW443543]
I’m afraid it can, Torsten. The knife edge can become blunt or dull.
Not only that, but I’d say some “blunt knives” are actually specifically manufactured that way.
Getting back to the original question, I agree with Torsten that much depends on the context. For example, a dull sentence might be one that bores you. On the other hand, a blunt sentence is often one that will get your attention and stir up some emotion, interest or action.
So what is the difference between a blunt knife and a dull knife?[YSaerTTEW443543]
TOEIC listening, photographs: Business team[YSaerTTEW443543]
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Personally, I would tend use the word ‘dull’ for a knife that had lost its sharpness, and I might use ‘blunt’ to refer to a knife that is designed primarily to do something other than cut. A butter knife might be said to be ‘blunt’, for example.
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Some examples:
- Sharpen all your blunt knives. a blunt pencil, I cut myself shaving with a blunt razor. It’s difficult to achieve a good result if you use blunt tools. Police say the victim was hit with a blunt instrument, possibly a hammer.
- Here, use this knife - that one’s dull. - I can’t feel any difference here.
But in other meanings of these words I agree with Yankee:a dull sentence might be one that bores you. On the other hand, a blunt sentence is often one that will get your attention and stir up some emotion, interest or action.
In many cases, they are synonymous.
Interesting:
Results 1 - 100 of about 47,500 English pages for “blunt knife”.
Results 1 - 100 of about 149,000 English pages for “dull knife”.
Google.
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I agree.
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