BLUFF Synonyms: 196 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'bluff' distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of bluff are blunt , brusque , crusty , curt , and gruff . While all these words mean "abrupt and unceremonious in speech and manner," bluff connotes good-natured outspokenness and unconventionality. // a bluff manner

Q: When can 'blunt' be used instead of 'bluff'?

The meanings of blunt and bluff largely overlap; however, blunt suggests directness of expression in disregard of others' feelings. // a blunt appraisal

Q: When is it sensible to use 'brusque' instead of 'bluff'?

While the synonyms brusque and bluff are close in meaning, brusque applies to a sharpness or ungraciousness. // a brusque response

Q: When might 'crusty' be a better fit than 'bluff'?

Although the words crusty and bluff have much in common, crusty suggests a harsh or surly manner sometimes concealing an inner kindliness. // a crusty exterior

Q: When would 'curt' be a good substitute for 'bluff'?

The words curt and bluff can be used in similar contexts, but curt implies disconcerting shortness or rude conciseness. // a curt command

Q: When could 'gruff' be used to replace 'bluff'?

In some situations, the words gruff and bluff are roughly equivalent. However, 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 1 of 3

adjective

ˈbləf

Definition of bluff

as in blunt

being or characterized by direct, brief, and potentially rude speech or manner he's a bluff but good-hearted teacher

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

bluff

2 of 3

noun

as in cliff

a steep wall of rock, earth, or ice fossils embedded in a stone bluff that date from the Jurassic period

Synonyms & Similar Words

bluff

3 of 3

verb

as in to fool

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 & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to pretend

to present a false appearance of the basketball player bluffed a shot, then passed instead

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word bluff distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of bluff are blunt, brusque, crusty, curt, and gruff. While all these words mean "abrupt and unceremonious in speech and manner," bluff connotes good-natured outspokenness and unconventionality.

a bluff manner

When can blunt be used instead of bluff?

The meanings of blunt and bluff largely overlap; however, blunt suggests directness of expression in disregard of others' feelings.

a blunt appraisal

When is it sensible to use brusque instead of bluff?

While the synonyms brusque and bluff are close in meaning, brusque applies to a sharpness or ungraciousness.

a brusque response

When might crusty be a better fit than bluff?

Although the words crusty and bluff have much in common, crusty suggests a harsh or surly manner sometimes concealing an inner kindliness.

a crusty exterior

When would curt be a good substitute for bluff?

The words curt and bluff can be used in similar contexts, but curt implies disconcerting shortness or rude conciseness.

a curt command

When could gruff be used to replace bluff?

In some situations, the words gruff and bluff are roughly equivalent. However, gruff suggests a hoarse or husky speech which may imply bad temper but more often implies embarrassment or shyness.

puts on a gruff pose

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of bluff

Adjective

One day in 2010, an e-mail from Steve Wentzel, the Zimbabwean tycoon, arrived in the in-box of one of South Pole’s founders—a tall, bluff German man named Christian Dannecker. — Heidi Blake, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023 Though the Explorer majors much more on practicality, somehow Ford has managed to turn a fairly bluff front-end styling and generally boxy silhouette familiar to properly sensible family SUV into an attractive design. — WIRED, 21 Mar. 2023

Noun

Natural limestone bluffs will also be visible and incorporated into the design, new renderings show, similar to the bluff inside the nearby Westin hotel. — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2026 The Missouri River Runner runs daily and is a nearly 6-hour, one-way ride, tracing the Missouri river past bluffs, forests, and vineyards blazing red and gold each fall. — Lauren Dana Ellman, Midwest Living, 15 Oct. 2026

Verb

To this end, bulls challenge each other for rights to cows by bluffing or by outright battles in which slashing antlers determine the victor. — Jim Zumbo, Outdoor Life, 10 Sep. 2026 His team didn’t bluff their way to draws against Spain, Uruguay or Saudi Arabia. — Matt Slater, New York Times, 29 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for bluff

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bluff

Adjective

The coroner listed his cause of death as multiple blunt-force injuries and his manner of death as an accident.

— Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 2 Nov. 2026
Newsom’s support for the deal came after Paramount threatened to move operations to Tennessee or Texas, placing more pressure on Bonta to come to an agreement and blunt efforts to lose California’s signature industry.

— Stacy Perman, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of blunt

Noun

Employees leaving the company can also take their company MacBooks with them, and Canva is removing the one-year vesting cliff for people who joined in the past year.

— Bilin Lin, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2026
The structure is carved into the pale rock, its interconnected chambers following the curves of the cliff.

— Avantika Chaturvedi, Architectural Digest, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of cliff

Verb

One play later, on third-and-long, Darnold got fooled by a Cover 2 trap coverage and Ja’Quan McMillian picked him off, setting up the Broncos’ walk-off field goal.

— Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 6 Nov. 2026
Don't be fooled by the affordable price, because your opponents will be the ones paying.

— George Yang, PC Magazine, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of fool

Verb

The shooting prompted national media coverage, with news outlets in Georgia describing Brayden as an outgoing child and a fan of Spider-Man who loved playing as the superhero by pretending to shoot webs and jump around.

— Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2026
Honor isn't pretending that the Magic 9 can go toe-to-toe with Hollywood-grade camera rigs.

— Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of pretend

Adjective

Zacharia's tenure lasted only five days, making her departure another abrupt change in a White House communications operation that had already lost Leavitt earlier in the year.

— Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2026
Amid rising French sovereign debt pressures and inflation remaining above target, such continuity could reduce market anxieties over abrupt policy shifts while mitigating potential volatility across European bond markets.

— , CNBC, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of abrupt

Noun

The researchers say the ancient escarpment may have influenced river systems, sediment transport and the flooding of continental interiors long before the rapid diversification of complex life during the Cambrian explosion.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 21 Aug. 2026
Built around a towering sandstone escarpment that rises through the centre of the property, surrounded by a deliciously cold pool, the architecture was conceived in careful negotiation with the landscape.

— Lara Johnson-Wheeler, Vogue, 3 July 2026

Definition of escarpment

Verb

Vision is still frustrated and furious over the ways Ultron tricked and used him, but yelling at an opponent that won’t get riled in return isn’t satisfying.

— Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2026
Mulching too early in fall can trap warmth that tricks the plants into sending out new growth, but mulching after the ground has frozen won’t properly insulate roots.

— Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of trick

Verb

Part of the research assignment was to figure out how to more efficiently extract carbon from deep seawater and add it to the shallow water near the coral to simulate rising ocean acidity.

— Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2026
Some examples include importing a long spreadsheet of customer records, simulating how an accounting batch will affect the general ledger before posting it or previewing the impact of a transaction on a project budget.

— Steve Cangiano, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of simulate

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blue water

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bluffed

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“Bluff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bluff. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of bluff

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