curt.

So brief in speech or manner that it seems abrupt or discourteous.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• a curt reply
• a curt dismissal

On the page

Her curt reply ended the conversation before he reached the request.

He apologized for being curt, but offered no fuller answer.

Usage notes

Primary category: psychological / character. Forms: Comparative curter; superlative curtest; more and most curt also occur. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.