Candid vs blunt: what’s the difference?
Candid and blunt both describe saying what you honestly think. Candid means open and sincere, often about something difficult or personal, and is usually a compliment. Blunt means saying it plainly, with little concern for tact or the listener’s feelings, so it can sound abrupt or unkind.
candid
adjective
Open, honest and sincere, especially about something difficult or personal.
“She was candid about why the shop closed, including the mistakes she made herself.”
blunt
adjective
Saying what you think plainly and directly, without trying to be tactful or spare anyone’s feelings.
“His note on my draft was blunt: ‘This chapter is dull. Cut it.’”
How to choose
Reach for candid when someone chooses to be open about what they think or what happened, especially something people often keep quiet: a candid interview, a candid account of a failure, being candid with your doctor about how much you drink. The word is usually approving and often hints at trust or a little courage.
Reach for blunt when the point is how plainly something was said, with no softening and little thought for how it would land: a blunt refusal, a blunt warning, blunt feedback. People sometimes want a blunt answer, so the word is not always a criticism, but it suggests the words could sting. A remark can be both candid and blunt: candid puts the weight on openness, blunt on the lack of softening.
A candid photo is taken while the person is not posing, so here candid means natural and unguarded. Blunt also means not sharp, as in a blunt pencil, and as a verb it means to weaken: a long delay can blunt anyone’s enthusiasm. The nouns are candour (spelled candor in American English) and bluntness. “To be blunt” and “to put it bluntly” usually warn that something unwelcome is coming.
| Situation | Better word | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Gently telling a close friend you think they are making a mistake | candid | Honest about something difficult, but gentle, which rules out blunt. |
| Replying “No. Bad idea.” to a colleague’s suggestion | blunt | Short and plain, with no softening. |
| A memoir that admits to debt, illness and a failed marriage | candid | Openness about difficult, personal things. |
| A kitchen knife that squashes tomatoes instead of slicing them | blunt | Only blunt has the literal meaning “not sharp”. |
Similar words worth knowing
- Frank: honest and direct, sometimes uncomfortably so. It sits between the two: a frank conversation can be friendly or awkward.
- Outspoken: stating your opinions freely and boldly, often in public. It usually describes a person or their views, as in an outspoken critic.
- Forthright: direct and not evasive. Like candid, it is usually approving.
- Tactless: not noticing or caring about other people’s feelings. Unlike blunt, it is always a criticism.
Play: candid or blunt?
Three sentences. Pick the word that fits, then see why.
Candid or blunt
1 / 3“In a ____ interview, the actor talked openly about the years he spent out of work and how close he came to giving up.”
Check the answer
Candid. He chooses to be open about something difficult and personal, and the sentence approves of it. Nothing suggests he was rude to anyone.
“Without a word of thanks, she glanced at the drawing her nephew had spent all afternoon on and said, ‘That doesn’t look like a horse.’ It was a ____ thing to say to a seven-year-old.”
Check the answer
Blunt. The remark is plain and gives no thought to the child’s feelings. Candid usually approves of the openness, which does not suit a comment that hurt.
“The best picture from the wedding is a ____ shot of the bride’s grandparents laughing at the back, taken when they had no idea anyone was looking.”
Check the answer
Candid. Here candid means unposed. Blunt has no meaning to do with photographs.
Your score
Practise choices like this
Choosing between two words that both nearly fit is the kind of decision arcoco’s games ask you to make. Try the five-round word game on our homepage, or see how arcoco works. We make arcoco; the examples on this page were written for it and are not taken from the app.
For full dictionary entries, see Cambridge Dictionary for candid and blunt.