Choose the Right Synonym for curt

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 curt in a Sentence

He gave only a curt reply to the question. she was offended by the curt reply to her well-meaning question

Recent Examples on the Web The dismissal is curt and callous: clearly, Trump’s victory provoked some of his opponents to double down on their hostility toward his supporters. — Jackson Lears, The New York Review of Books, 14 Jan. 2021 The dismissal is curt and callous: clearly, Trump’s victory provoked some of his opponents to double down on their hostility toward his supporters. — Jackson Lears, The New York Review of Books, 14 Jan. 2021 While you aren't expected to be happy at work all the time, Sheth said always being defensive and providing snappy, transactional-type responses that are curt and supply limited information can also be warning signs. — Kathryn Vasel, CNN, 14 Sep. 2021 Two weeks later, the police chief, serving as the interim town manager, sent a curt memo ordering the contractors to halt work, revoking their penthouse permits. — New York Times, 25 Aug. 2021 The actor explained that a salary dispute with the Potter producers was what prompted his curt response. — Tyler Aquilina, EW.com, 7 Aug. 2021 Or came in a curt letter to the local schools’ chiefs. — New York Times, 17 May 2021 Mostly, though, the series is curt about what might happen when human brains, with their capacity for selfishness, for suspicion, for war, navigate new worlds. — Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 5 May 2021 Acrobatic bars about trapping out of literal hunger and committing ruthless attacks tumble out of him with curt precision. — Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 24 Mar. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'curt.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.