Synonym Chooser

How is the word crusty distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of crusty are bluff, blunt, brusque, curt, and gruff. While all these words mean "abrupt and unceremonious in speech and manner," crusty suggests a harsh or surly manner sometimes concealing an inner kindliness.

a crusty exterior

Where would bluff be a reasonable alternative to crusty?

The synonyms bluff and crusty are sometimes interchangeable, but bluff connotes good-natured outspokenness and unconventionality.

a bluff manner

When can blunt be used instead of crusty?

While the synonyms blunt and crusty are close in meaning, blunt suggests directness of expression in disregard of others' feelings.

a blunt appraisal

When might brusque be a better fit than crusty?

The words brusque and crusty can be used in similar contexts, but brusque applies to a sharpness or ungraciousness.

a brusque response

When could curt be used to replace crusty?

While in some cases nearly identical to crusty, curt implies disconcerting shortness or rude conciseness.

a curt command

When is gruff a more appropriate choice than crusty?

Although the words gruff and crusty have much in common, 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 crusty This can cause scaly, crusty skin on their head, neck, and belly; sores on their lips and eyelids; dry and cracked paw pads; and dental disease. John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025 Pav is a soft and fluffy bread, with a crusty top and a distinct smoky flavor. Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 25 May 2025 Serve that with some crusty bread or crackers or something. Bon Appétit, Bon Appetit Magazine, 21 May 2025 Tear hunks from a crusty loaf of bread and dunk them into the chile-tinged butter. Betty Hallock, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for crusty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crusty
Adjective
  • Two of the dogs died of heat stroke, one of blunt force trauma, Orange County Deputy District Attorney Danica Drotman told Judge Kimberly Menninger during Monday’s hearing, drawing gasps from the owners in the courtroom gallery.
    Sean Emery, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 June 2025
  • An autopsy later revealed that O’Keefe had died from blunt force trauma and hypothermia.
    Sean Neumann, People.com, 25 June 2025
Adjective
  • With a deep, gruff voice and animus toward humanity, McCarthy was an unusual dance-music star when Nitzer Ebb started notching chart hits.
    Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 12 June 2025
  • Two months ago, the world lost a gruff and burly guitar player named Al Barile.
    Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 11 June 2025
Adjective
  • These findings suggest a shift toward stronger, more abrupt convective storms.
    Bethany Wales, Sacbee.com, 25 June 2025
  • This abrupt change in policy will devastate the booming Florida solar industry and prevent millions of homeowners and businesses across the state from saving money and asserting energy choice with solar for years to come.
    Susan Tanski, Sun Sentinel, 23 June 2025
Adjective
  • For short or light exercise, plain water is usually the best choice.75 Many people use Gatorade to hydrate after being sick.
    Lindsey DeSoto, Health, 1 July 2025
  • The rapper mostly looked at the judge during the short court session.
    Tracy Wright , Lauryn Overhultz , Maria Paronich , Brendan McDonald, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2025
Adjective
  • While Trump was weighing the decision to strike Iran's nuclear sites, Vance came to the president's defense after supporters like Tucker Carlson and those in the MAGA base were outspoken against the U.S. getting involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran.
    Hannah Demissie, ABC News, 5 July 2025
  • Most outspoken were the parents of Kaylee Goncalves, who worked this week to inspire supporters to call the judge, the U.S. Department of Justice and Gov. Brad Little’s office to force Kohberger’s capital murder trial to proceed, in pursuit of a possible death sentence.
    Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 3 July 2025
Adjective
  • Going from Pitch Stop to Drama Room meant a brusque shift, with all four projects grappling with questions either directly tied to or adjacent to modern masculinity.
    Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 21 June 2025
  • That voice — brusque, solidly accented, cured in cigarette smoke, marinated in Jack Daniels — comes to me all the time.
    The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 June 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • Long-winded or hesitant responses in meetings meet with a curt response.
    Oliver Kay, New York Times, 12 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Crusty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crusty. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

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