as in concisely
in a few words
the beleaguered mayor curtly answered all questions with a simple "No comment"
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Recent Examples of curtly
The Yangs were called in and curtly told the judgment was being overturned, their lawsuit dismissed without trial.
—
Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for curtly
Adverb
-
Few other comedians do this so consistently or concisely.—
John Roy,
Vulture,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Well, first of all, that was incredibly concisely summarized.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
26 Dec. 2025
Adverb
-
Witnesses said LaBeouf was thrown out of the bar for being aggressive, briefly left the area, but then returned a short time later.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
1 Mar. 2026
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Two people were briefly detained for questioning, but both were released within 24 hours, and law enforcement officials say neither man is considered a suspect.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
1 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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The dissonance between their bacchanalian ritual and Adelaida’s silent, solitary suffering is marked, and the disrespect for the dead further underlined when a gravedigger tersely shoos her away from the graveside, reminding her that the area is unsafe, especially at nightfall.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
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The Pentagon chief responded tersely after a viral backlash to a photo of a group of overweight Texas National Guard troops headed to Chicago.—
Davis Winkie,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Curtly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/curtly. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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