Synonyms of bluff

bluff 1 of 3

adjective

ˈbləf 

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

• blunt
• abrupt
• short
• gruff
• curt
• outspoken
• rude
• brusque
• downright
• crusty
• unceremonious
• brusk
• crass
• plain
• honest
• snippy
• short-spoken
• frank
• straightforward
• rough
• straight-out
• direct
• vulgar
• point-blank
• candid
• open
• disrespectful
• earnest
• forthright
• snappish
• reserved
• plainspoken
• artless
• tactless
• discourteous
• impolite
• inconsiderate
• coarse
• foursquare
• laconic
• reticent
• insensitive
• impertinent
• undiplomatic
• sincere
• brief
• terse
• closemouthed
• free-spoken
• crude
• uncouth
• low
• tight-lipped

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• diplomatic
• civil
• circuitous
• polite
• smooth
• gracious
• suave
• politic
• tactful
• courteous
• considerate
• talkative
• voluble
• mealymouthed
• loquacious
• verbose
• gallant
• genteel
• polished
• cultivated
• prolix
• refined
• courtly
• long-winded

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

• cliff
• escarpment
• palisade
• crag
• precipice
• scarp
• scar
• barranca
• barranco
• embankment
• butte
• hogback
• tor
• cuesta
• pitch
• declivity
• bulwark
• drop-off

bluff

3 of 3

verb

1

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

• fool
• trick
• deceive
• tease
• gull
• sucker
• mislead
• kid
• hoax
• cheat
• hoodwink
• delude
• gaff
• snow
• con
• dupe
• buffalo
• suck in
• bamboozle
• humbug
• misinform
• gammon
• spoof
• string along
• juggle
• misguide
• beguile
• cozen
• sting
• hornswoggle
• catch
• snooker
• have on
• burn
• take in
• fake out
• lead one up the garden path
• have
• lead one down the garden path
• pull one's leg
• do a number on
• pull the wool over one's eyes
• swindle
• euchre
• stick
• put on
• defraud
• rook
• hustle
• mulct
• fleece
• shortchange
• chisel
• diddle
• flimflam
• bleed
• skin
• squeeze

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• undeceive
• expose
• reveal
• unmask
• show up
• uncover
• tell
• debunk
• disclose
• divulge
• unveil
• uncloak
• disillusion
• disabuse
• disenchant

2

as in to pretend

to present a false appearance of

the basketball player bluffed a shot, then passed instead

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pretend
• simulate
• assume
• act
• pass (for)
• feign
• affect
• fake
• make believe
• sham
• dissemble
• put on
• pose
• counterfeit
• conceal
• forge
• profess
• play
• masquerade
• imitate
• camouflage
• impersonate
• let on
• disguise
• mask
• dissimulate
• playact
• feint
• malinger

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

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

The cemetery spreads out over 172.5 acres (roughly a quarter of a square mile) of strikingly beautiful land on a bluff overlooking the English Channel. —Eli Amdur, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025

Swallows inhabit some of these bluffs, darting after insects that flutter above the water. —Alann B. Steen, Outdoor Life, 21 May 2025

Verb

Then the tiger looked up from the bull and made a bluffing, roaring rush toward the man, who fled back along the road. —Cyril E. Holland, Outdoor Life, 8 May 2025

The current administration may be bluffing when high-percentage tariffs are announced, but many automakers lack the leverage to risk another round at the poker table. Need a break? —Charles Singh, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025