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Like to say something bad,offensive,embarrassing,etc to somebody you didn't you mean to say

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    This question has been discussed on english.stackexchange.com/questions/522264/…. As I said there, to blurt out is to say something without thinking. It could be something rude or tactless that you thought privately but hadn't meant to say out loud, or something that should have been kept secret.
    – Kate Bunting
    Jan 8, 2020 at 13:46
  • @KateBunting then you are saying its not used to say unintentional?
    – Daniel Rigg
    Jan 8, 2020 at 22:47
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    @DanielRigg Why are you wilfully misunderstanding me? What do you think 'hadn't meant to say out loud' means? If you say something without thinking, you probably didn't intend to say it.
    – Kate Bunting
    Jan 9, 2020 at 9:36
  • @KateBunting I get it now but you should have just said to me ''yes'' when I asked
    – Daniel Rigg
    Jan 9, 2020 at 21:40

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Yes, it can mean unintentionally, but it can also mean “suddenly” or “abruptly” without being completely unintentional. It’s not always really “bad, offensive, embarrassing” either.

For example, I wanted to tell my best friend Sharon her new haircut didn’t really suit her but I was waiting for the right time to raise the subject sensitively. In the end though, I just blurted it out when we were on the bus together, but we managed to have a good laugh about it when she told me I needed a haircut too.

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  • what can cause someone to blurt out?
    – むさつ
    Jan 8, 2020 at 17:59
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    @むさつ I suppose it happens when an idea is so strong in a person's mind that they say something out loud without thinking.
    – Kate Bunting
    Jan 10, 2020 at 9:09
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I agree with Orbital Aussie — it’s more about the suddenness than anything else.

Here are some more examples:

  1. Melissa is in the bus with her co-worker Lena. She has been thinking about changing careers for a while. Lena is talking to her about work and how excited she is for the next assignment. Melissa gradually gets more frustrated. Finally, she opens her mouth to respond and blurts out “I’m gonna quit this job.” (Intentional, sudden. Not necessarily bad.)
  2. Daisuke is hanging out with his friends. Someone asks him a question about who he likes at work. At first, he doesn’t mean to answer, but in the end he blurts it out anyway. (Unintentional, sudden. This case is more embarrassing.)
  3. Adhiti and Luis are walking around all day to interview people for a film. After a long day of work, they’re tired. They notice a sign for a relaxing coffee shop nearby, look to each other, and blurt out “let’s get coffee!” (Intentional, sudden. Not embarrassing or bad at all.)

Basically, as long as it’s sudden and fast, you can use “blurt out.”

If the subject is talking slowly (as if giving a speech), they are probably not blurting it out.

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