variants also brusk

Synonym Chooser

How is the word brusque distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of brusque are bluff, blunt, crusty, curt, and gruff. While all these words mean "abrupt and unceremonious in speech and manner," brusque applies to a sharpness or ungraciousness.

a brusque response

In what contexts can bluff take the place of brusque?

The meanings of bluff and brusque largely overlap; however, bluff connotes good-natured outspokenness and unconventionality.

a bluff manner

When might blunt be a better fit than brusque?

While in some cases nearly identical to brusque, blunt suggests directness of expression in disregard of others' feelings.

a blunt appraisal

Where would crusty be a reasonable alternative to brusque?

The words crusty and brusque are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, crusty suggests a harsh or surly manner sometimes concealing an inner kindliness.

a crusty exterior

When could curt be used to replace brusque?

The synonyms curt and brusque are sometimes interchangeable, but curt implies disconcerting shortness or rude conciseness.

a curt command

When is gruff a more appropriate choice than brusque?

While the synonyms gruff and brusque are close in meaning, 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 brusque The actor lowers his voice slightly, granting the newer Mickey a more confident, brusque personality. Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2025 The world’s third largest economy goes to the polls Sunday under the shadow of unusually brusque interventions from the Trump administration in support of the anti-immigration far right. Alexander Smith, NBC News, 22 Feb. 2025 In the first season, the series wondered what would happen if therapist Jimmy, despondent after becoming a widower, started giving his patients brusque, confrontational advice on how to deal with their problems. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Dec. 2024 The Princess Diaries actress declined to participate in the sing-song and proceeded to give brusque answers to Flaa’s questions. Jake Kanter, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for brusque
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brusque
Adjective
  • With his initial burst, Sanders can maneuver through gaps with abrupt hands/feet or change the line of scrimmage by quickly getting into a blocker’s chest.
    Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025
  • The abrupt cancellation Wednesday of a London trip that Mr. Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had planned – to meet officials from Ukraine and its European allies – was the latest sign that ending the conflict is proving far more complex.
    Ned Temko, Christian Science Monitor, 24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The sixth song on Beyoncé’s eighth studio album, Cowboy Carter, is a curt history lesson nestled in a massive song cycle with an undeniable rallying cry.
    Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Feb. 2025
  • There was also his curt response to a strange controversy over his decision not to include an image of Armstrong planting the American flag on the moon.
    Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Autopsy results revealed that Morin had endured 15 to 20 blows to the head and had died from a combination of strangulation and blunt force trauma.
    Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2025
  • Not to be blunt, but there’s really no good excuse to skip SPF application, regardless of your skin tone or skin type.
    Catharine Malzahn, Glamour, 11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Be Courtesy To Other Shoppers To a Southerner, manners are top of mind, so pushing, shoving, and being rude over buying things doesn’t jive with a genteel way of life.
    Jennifer Prince, Southern Living, 19 Apr. 2025
  • The same employee, who Shea said was also rude to her, answered and told her the company was closed.
    PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The actor behind the gruff but lovable Roy Kent shared a purrfectly eccentric analogy about the show's return on a recent episode of NPR's Wild Card podcast.
    Jessica Wang, EW.com, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Bowling paints with the rhythm of a gruff intellectual.
    James Russell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • After a short ceremony, the church will open to the public from: Wednesday: 11 a.m. to midnight Thursday: 7 a.m. to midnight Friday: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
    George Petras, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025
  • Letters to the editor are usually short and to the point.
    Elizabeth Keifer, Hartford Courant, 22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Things are, per forma, cool and snippy at the start, until Claire suggests a road trip and a tentative robot romance blossoms.
    Vulture Editors, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2025
  • Julia Michaels and Maren Morris are feeling snippy.
    Marina Watts, People.com, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The latter culminated in an unceremonious exit with Denise bailing amid rumors of an affair with Brandi Glanville and some admittedly wretched mean-girl behavior from castmates Lisa Rinna and Kyle Richards (no relation).
    Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2025
  • Until her unceremonious ouster, Reid inhabited a unique space in media as one of the dimmest and most vicious voices in political commentary.
    Becket Adams, National Review, 2 Mar. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Brusque.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brusque. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on brusque

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!