variants
also brusk
as in abrupt
being or characterized by direct, brief, and potentially rude speech or manner
a brusque and unhelpful reply from the clerk in the hardware store
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of brusque
Some have attributed this to his brusque, sometimes confrontational demeanor, others to classist prejudice.
—
Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
With his occasionally brusque manner, his maniacal secrecy about team selection and his refusal to explain his tactical decisions, Luis Enrique put a few noses out of joint in the French media.
—Tom Williams, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Near the end of our interview, his brusque exterior cracked.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 2 June 2025
But a few weeks before its initial six-month contract was set to run out, in mid-September 1994, things came to a brusque end.
—Christopher Clark, The Dial, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for brusque
Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
With his occasionally brusque manner, his maniacal secrecy about team selection and his refusal to explain his tactical decisions, Luis Enrique put a few noses out of joint in the French media.
—Tom Williams, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Near the end of our interview, his brusque exterior cracked.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 2 June 2025
But a few weeks before its initial six-month contract was set to run out, in mid-September 1994, things came to a brusque end.
—Christopher Clark, The Dial, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for brusque
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brusque
Adjective
-
The abrupt decision bypassed the government’s normal process for evaluating and recommending vaccines, and Kennedy did not offer scientific evidence to justify the change to the recommendations.—
Deidre McPhillips,
CNN Money,
22 Aug. 2025
-
There is nothing more abrupt in pro sports than retirement.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The judge was curt but courteous; a Spanish-language interpreter was available on a large video screen to his right.—
Jordan Salama,
New Yorker,
25 July 2025
-
If that bluntness sound a little prosaic at first, there’s a curt poetry to it that comes into focus listening through 15 tracks that consist almost entirely of sisters Danielle, Alana and Este Haim handing in their respective resignations to long- or short-term partners, effectively immediately.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
20 June 2025
Adjective
-
Pike's remains were found dismembered, and the medical examiner ruled there was blunt head trauma, but no criminal charges have been filed.—
Jose R. Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
28 Aug. 2025
-
Effortlessly chic and elegant, the French bob is slightly textured and blunt at the ends, which skim just above the top of her shoulders.—
Jeanne Ballion,
Vogue,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Fox News host Dana Perino, a former White House press secretary, called out how rude the governor’s messages tended to be.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
24 Aug. 2025
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The Russian military faced a rude surprise on Ukrainian battlefields in part because in Vladimir Putin’s Russia, professionalism is secondary to politics.—
David French,
Mercury News,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The central quartet of friends have a supportive connection underneath all their hormones and egos — Elba proves a standout as the gruff but warm defacto leader — that makes their bloody and sexed-up misadventures oddly wholesome.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
13 Aug. 2025
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Dougal MacKenzie loves a good prank — and so do the actors who play the gruff Highland Scot.—
Maureen Lee Lenker Published,
EW.com,
25 July 2025
Adjective
-
The louder the sound, the shorter amount of time a person should be exposed to it.—
Beth Warren,
The Tennessean,
21 Aug. 2025
-
The Elevated Velocity’s profile ― long hood, spacious interior, short rear overhang, fastback rear end ― is consistent with the current Cadillac Lyriq and Celestiq.—
Mark Phelan,
USA Today,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The snippy robot begins the film with her body destroyed but her ego as big as ever.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
26 June 2025
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The Next Generations and had recurring roles as the snippy Emma Johnson on NBC’s 227 and as a judge on ABC’s The Practice.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
21 June 2025
Adjective
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But this trust has been shaken by recent events, including substantial downward revisions to jobs data, bruising political accusations, and the unceremonious dismissal of Erika McEntarfer, the BLS’s top official, at the beginning of the month.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
18 Aug. 2025
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Naturally, Kieran validates all of her worst fears by choosing the other woman in the most unceremonious way possible.—
Laura Bradley,
Vulture,
13 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brusque.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brusque. Accessed 31 Aug. 2025.
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