curt

curt

adjective

Definition of CURT

1

being or characterized by direct, brief, and potentially rude speech or manner <she was offended by the curt reply to her well-meaning question>

Synonyms abrupt, bluff, brusque (also brusk), crusty, curt, downright, short, short-spoken, snippy, unceremonious

Related Words gruff, rough, snappish; candid, direct, forthright, foursquare, frank, free-spoken, open, outspoken, plain, plainspoken, point-blank, straightforward, straight-out; artless, discourteous, disrespectful, impertinent, impolite, inconsiderate, insensitive, rude, tactless, undiplomatic; brief, closemouthed, laconic, reserved, reticent, terse, tight-lipped; earnest, honest, sincere; coarse, crass, crude, low, uncouth, vulgar

Near Antonyms civil, considerate, courteous, diplomatic, gracious, polite, politic, smooth, suave, tactful; loquacious, talkative, voluble; long-winded, prolix, verbose; courtly, cultivated, gallant, genteel, polished, refined

Antonyms circuitous, mealymouthed

2

marked by the use of few words to convey much information or meaning <on a daily basis she e-mailed to her commanders curt reports on the situation>

Synonyms aphoristic, apothegmatic, brief, capsule, compact, compendious, crisp, curt, elliptical (or elliptic), epigrammatic, laconic, monosyllabic, pithy, sententious, succinct, summary, telegraphic, terse, thumbnail

Related Words abrupt, blunt, brusque (also brusk), short, snippety, snippy; abbreviated, abridged, condensed, curtailed, shortened; meaty, substantial; meaningful, significant; well-turned

Near Antonyms pleonastic, redundant, repetitious, tautological, tautologous; enlarged, expanded, supplemented; embellished, embroidered, exaggerated, inflated

Antonyms circuitous, circumlocutory, diffuse, long-winded, prolix, rambling, verbose, windy, wordy