Meaning & use

brusque

adjective·Advanced

Abrupt or blunt in speech or manner, to the point of seeming rude.

See it in a sentence

The manager's brusque reply left the new employee feeling unwelcome.

She has a brusque way of ending phone calls without much of a goodbye.

A note on using this word

"Brusque" describes tone or manner rather than content; a brusque person may still be entirely honest and fair.

Words with a similar meaning

curtbluntterse

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

graciouscourteous

Make it your own

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