Definition of brusque
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
adverbbrusqueness
nounRead the Latest from M-W
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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 of brusque from the Web
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But no one is harder to read than Rachel, whose first grateful kiss to Philip is followed by a brusque shove.
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In Europe, a top German politician slammed Trump’s decision, mocking him for his brusque brush-aside of a Balkan leader last week at a NATO meeting in Brussels.
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The speech to NATO was memorable, as was his brusque, push-aside of the leader of Montenegro to make his way to the front of a pack of world leaders.
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Ms. Ryan, who encountered brusque treatment herself at a White House press briefing, said in an interview.
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In meetings he is known for being brusque, with elbows-on-the-table and bouncing-knee intensity.
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Where Donald Trump was brusque, Ms. Trump was tactful.
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Liu speaks in a raspy voice, and his demeanor is brusque.
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Since taking office in June, Mr. Duterte has stirred controversy with a series of brusque remarks about U.S.-Philippine relations, often catching his own aides and officials off guard.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'brusque'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
We borrowed "brusque" from French in the 1600s. The French, in turn, had borrowed it from Italian, where it was spelled "brusco" and meant "tart." And the Italian term came from "bruscus," the Medieval Latin name for butcher's-broom, a shrub whose bristly leaf-like twigs have long been used for making brooms. English speakers initially used "brusque" to refer to a tartness in wine, but the word soon came to denote a harsh and stiff manner - which is just what you might expect of a word bristling with associations to stiff, scratchy brooms.
Origin and Etymology of brusque
French brusque, from Italian brusco, from Medieval Latin bruscus butcher's-broom (plant with bristly twigs)
First Known Use: circa 1639
Synonym Discussion of brusque
BRUSQUE Defined for English Language Learners
brusque
playDefinition of brusque for English Language Learners
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: talking or behaving in a very direct, brief, and unfriendly way
BRUSQUE Defined for Kids
brusque
playDefinition of brusque for Students
: so abrupt and frank in manner or speech as to be impolite a brusque doctor a brusque reply
brusquely
adjectivebrusqueness
nounLearn More about brusque
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See words that rhyme with brusque Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for brusque Spanish Central: Translation of brusque Nglish: Translation of brusque for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of brusque for Arabic speakers
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