brunt

Language: en

🇬🇧 /ˈbrʌnt/ 🇺🇸 /ˈbrʌnt/

📖 Definitions

  1. noun
    The main force, impact, or worst part of something, especially an attack, blow, or unpleasant experience.; The chief stress or burden of something, such as responsibility or blame.; (Archaic) A sudden attack or assault; a shock of battle.
  2. verb
    (Archaic) To bear or sustain the main force or impact of something.

🔗 Details

Word forms

uncountable

Collocations

bear the brunt oftake the brunt offeel the brunt ofabsorb the brunt ofsuffer the brunt of

Synonyms

impactforceweightburdenshockblow

Commonly confused

blunt
EN: 'Blunt' is an adjective meaning not sharp or direct; 'brunt' is a noun meaning the main force or impact of something.
burnt
EN: 'Burnt' is the past tense/participle of 'burn'; 'brunt' refers to the main impact of an attack or unpleasant experience.

Spelling tips

EN: Do not confuse 'brunt' with 'blunt' (not sharp) or 'burnt' (past of burn). 'Brunt' is almost always used in the phrase 'the brunt of.'

💬 Examples

  1. The coastal towns bore the brunt of the hurricane's destructive force.

  2. She took the brunt of the criticism for the project's failure.

  3. The soldiers met the brunt of the enemy's charge with unwavering resolve.

  4. The old fortress brunted many sieges throughout the centuries.