MEANING
Brief and direct in a way that can seem impatient or discourteous.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- brusque reply
- brusque manner
On the page
The porter gave a brusque reply and turned back to the ledger.
Her brusque manner softened when she noticed his shaking hands.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- brusque
Usage notes
Primary category: psychological / character. Forms: Comparative more brusque; superlative most brusque where gradation is meaningful. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.
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