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 Add a side salad and some crusty bread and dinner is done. Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Mar. 2025 Lucy recently traded crusty asphalt for a cozy bed. Kelli Bender, People.com, 27 Feb. 2025 The same goes for the chunk of crusty white bread that appears on many a #BalkanBreakfast snap. Georgia Day, Vogue, 3 Mar. 2025 Go with your favorite sourdough or crusty artisan bread. Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for crusty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crusty
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
  • Bowling paints with the rhythm of a gruff intellectual.
    James Russell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Apr. 2025
  • 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
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
  • Early action scenes are told in strangely oblique ways, with gunfire erupting off-screen (but little carnage shown) or else via abrupt cuts, filled in later by ultra-violent flashbacks.
    Peter Debruge, Variety, 24 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
  • Artificial: Artificial ground (AG) cleats have the shortest cleats of the bunch.
    BestReviews, Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Beyond her pioneering achievements behind the wheel, Levitt was also an inventor, a royal driving instructor, a suffragette and an outspoken writer.
    Jamie Lang, Variety, 23 Apr. 2025
  • The actor has long been an outspoken advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and particularly transgender women.
    Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • In conversation, de Moraes often veers between jokes and brusque legal assertions.
    Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
  • Even before this week, the downside of the Trump White House’s brusque treatment of historic U.S. allies was obvious.
    U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 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

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Cite this Entry

“Crusty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crusty. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.

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