mince words
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Speak directly and honestly without avoiding unpleasant truths
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Nói trực tiếp và trung thực mà không tránh sự thật khó chịu
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Literally: cut words into small pieces
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
She didn't mince words when criticizing his performance
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “mince words” mean?
Speak directly and honestly without avoiding unpleasant truths Literally: cut words into small pieces
Is “mince words” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.