brusque

adjective

ˈbrəsk 

variants or less commonly brusk

1

: markedly short and abrupt

a brusque reply

2

: blunt in manner or speech often to the point of ungracious harshness

was brusque with the customers

brusquely adverb

brusqueness noun

Did you know?

If you’ve ever felt swept aside by someone with a brusque manner, that makes a certain amount of etymological sense. Brusque, you see, comes ultimately from bruscus, the Medieval Latin name for butcher’s broom, a shrub whose bristly, leaf-like twigs have long been used for making brooms. Bruscus was modified to the adjective brusco in Italian, where it meant “sour” or “tart.” French, in turn, changed brusco to brusque, and the word in that form entered English in the 1600s. English speakers initially applied brusque to tartness in wine, but the word soon came to describe a harsh and stiff manner, which is just what you might expect of a word bristling with associations to stiff, scratchy brooms.

Synonyms

• abrupt
• bluff
• blunt
• crusty
• curt
• downright
• short
• short-spoken
• snippy
• unceremonious

Choose the Right Synonym for brusque

bluff, blunt, brusque, curt, crusty, gruff mean abrupt and unceremonious in speech and manner.

bluff connotes good-natured outspokenness and unconventionality.

a bluff manner

blunt suggests directness of expression in disregard of others' feelings.

a blunt appraisal

brusque applies to a sharpness or ungraciousness.

a brusque response

curt implies disconcerting shortness or rude conciseness.

a curt command

crusty suggests a harsh or surly manner sometimes concealing an inner kindliness.

a crusty exterior

gruff suggests a hoarse or husky speech which may imply bad temper but more often implies embarrassment or shyness.

puts on a gruff pose

Examples of brusque in a Sentence

She asked for a cup of coffee and received a brusque reply: “We don't have any.”

The teacher was brusque and impatient.

Recent Examples on the Web

Asia, who was in love with Alan before his death, has a hard time accepting her and is brusque and rude to her. —Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024

Lennon understandably feared that McCartney’s father-in-law could never be a neutral third party, and instead favored Allen Klein, a brusque and streetwise business barracuda. —Jordan Runtagh, Peoplemag, 29 Mar. 2024

Renowned for being brusque at the best of times, some locals have expressed concern about the colossal security operation these Games will entail, necessary because of the unprecedented opening ceremony. —Alexander Smith, NBC News, 26 Mar. 2024

Fortunately, before the alarmist pair have time to take action, the brusque stranger drops them off at the restaurant. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024

Joined by a kleptomaniac fox (Awkwafina), a brusque pangolin (Ke Huy Quan) and a trio of ferocious little bunnies, Po sets out to defeat a sorcerer named the Chameleon (Viola Davis). —Amy Nicholson, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024

Weber shines as the late Alexandre Leger, revealed via flashbacks to be handsome, bold, intelligent, and charismatic but also brusque, manipulative, arrogant, selfish, impulsive, and unyielding. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 10 July 2023

Mark Goddard Mark Goddard, the actor known for his role as the brusque pilot Maj. Don West on the 1960s sci-fi show Lost in Space, died Oct. 10, at 87. —Ew Staff, EW.com, 16 Oct. 2023

The parlor is the hangout of Loveday Fortescue (Jen Furlong, exuding brusque energy) and Valeria Hunter (Laura Giannarelli, drolly flustered and preening), sisters who run a boardinghouse for single women in 1893 London. —Celia Wren, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French brusque, from Italian brusco, from Medieval Latin bruscus butcher's-broom (plant with bristly twigs)

First Known Use

circa 1639, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

brusque

adjective

ˈbrəsk 

: so short and frank in manner or speech as to be impolite

spoke in a brusque tone

brusquely adverb

brusqueness noun