Thesaurus

bluff

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of bluff

being or characterized by direct, brief, and potentially rude speech or manner

he's a bluff but good-hearted teacher

Synonyms of bluff

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

Words Related to bluff

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 of bluff

civil, considerate, courteous, diplomatic, gracious, polite, politic, smooth, suave, tactful

loquacious, talkative, voluble

long-winded, prolix, verbose

courtly, cultivated, gallant, genteel, polished, refined

Antonyms of bluff

circuitous, mealymouthed

Synonym Discussion of bluff

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

bluff

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of bluff

a steep wall of rock, earth, or ice

fossils embedded in a stone bluff that date from the Jurassic period

Synonyms of bluff

barranca (also barranco), cliff, crag, escarpment, palisade, precipice, scar, scarp

Words Related to bluff

butte, cuesta, hogback, tor

bulwark, embankment

declivity, drop-off, pitch

bluff

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of bluff

1 to cause to believe what is untrue

I bluffed the interviewer into believing that I could really speak French and thus would be the perfect person to serve in the newspaper's Paris bureau

Synonyms of bluff

bamboozle, beguile, buffalo, burn, catch, con, cozen, deceive, delude, dupe, fake out, fool, gaff, gammon, gull, have, have on [chiefly British], hoax, hoodwink, hornswoggle, humbug, juggle, misguide, misinform, mislead, snooker, snow, spoof, string along, suck in, sucker, take in, trick

Words Related to bluff

kid, put on, tease

bleed, cheat, chisel, defraud, diddle, euchre, flam, fleece, gyp, hustle, mulct, rook, shortchange, skin, squeeze, stick, sting, swindle

Phrases Synonymous with bluff

do a number on, lead one down the garden path (also lead one up the garden path), pull one's leg, pull the wool over one's eyes

Near Antonyms of bluff

debunk, expose, reveal, show up, uncloak, uncover, unmask

disclose, divulge, tell, unveil

disabuse, disenchant, disillusion

Antonyms of bluff

2 to present a false appearance of

the basketball player bluffed a shot, then passed instead

Synonyms of bluff

act, affect, assume, counterfeit, dissemble, fake, feign, pass (for), pretend, profess, put on, sham, simulate

Words Related to bluff

dissimulate, impersonate, let on, masquerade, play, playact, pose

camouflage, conceal, disguise, mask

Phrases Synonymous with bluff

Learn More about bluff

See words that rhyme with bluff Dictionary: Definition of bluff Spanish Central: Translation of bluff Nglish: Translation of bluff for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of bluff for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up bluff? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments

WORD OF THE DAY

farouche

marked by shyness and lack of polish

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games