bluff
- bluff
bluff adj Bluff, blunt, brusque, curt, crusty, gruff mean abrupt and unceremonious in speech or manner.
Bluff, the only term of the group used in a complimentary sense, connotes outspokenness, rough good nature, and unconventionally which bespeak a sincerity that scorns the forms of politeness
{
a bluff burly, hearty-looking man in a short blue jacket— Kenneth Roberts
}
Blunt (see also
DULL) implies such directness and plain speaking as to suggest lack of consideration for the feelings of others and some disregard for the amenities of life
{
the petition was rejected in a blunt, one-sentence letter of refusal— Blanshard
}
{
a blunt man. He is often brutal. He has never seemed to me to be devious— Welles
}
Brusque suggests a certain sharpness of manner and ungraciousness of speech
{
I was nettled by her brusque manner of asserting her folly— Conrad
}
{
Markham was forthright, brusque, and, on occasion, domineering, taking life with grim and serious conscience—5. S. Van Dine
}
Curt implies disconcerting shortness or rude conciseness
{
a curt message . . . bade her return at once to Rome— Buchan
}
Crusty implies a forbidding exterior and a manner marked by asperity or acerbity that sometimes belies real kindness of heart
{
he was a crusty old fellow, as close as a vise— Hawthorne
}
Gruff carries a stronger implication of surliness and roughness than crusty and distinctively suggests curt and hoarse or guttural utterance but like the former may suggest an underlying kindliness
{
gruff disagreeable, sarcastic remarks— Thackeray
}
{
covered his essentially warm and friendly nature with a gruff exterior— Bliven b.l889
}
Antonyms: suave, smooth
Contrasted words: urbane, diplomatic, bland (see
SUAVE): courteous, courtly, gallant, polite, *
civil
New Dictionary of Synonyms.
2014.
:
Look at other dictionaries:
bluff — bluff … Dictionnaire des rimes
bluff n — bluff v … English expressions
bluff — [ blɶf ] n. m. • 1840; mot angl. amér. 1 ♦ Aux cartes, Attitude destinée à impressionner l adversaire en lui faisant illusion. 2 ♦ (1895) Attitude destinée à en faire accroire, à intimider l adversaire sans en avoir les moyens. ⇒ mensonge,… … Encyclopédie Universelle
Bluff — may refer to: * an expression of self confidence, an empty boastGeography* a very steep and broad hill or small cliff, frequently next to a river or ocean;United States places * Bluffs, Illinois, a village * Bluffs, Indiana, an unincorporated… … Wikipedia
Bluff — Bluff, a. [Cf. OD. blaf flat, broad, blaffaert one with a broad face, also, a boaster; or G. verbl[ u]ffen to confuse, LG. bluffen to frighten; to unknown origin.] 1. Having a broad, flattened front; as, the bluff bows of a ship. Bluff visages.… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
bluff — Ⅰ. bluff [1] ► NOUN ▪ an attempt to deceive someone into believing that one can or will do something. ► VERB ▪ try to deceive someone as to one s abilities or intentions. ● call someone s bluff Cf. ↑call someone s bluff … English terms dictionary
Bluff — Bluff, n. 1. A high, steep bank, as by a river or the sea, or beside a ravine or plain; a cliff with a broad face. [1913 Webster] Beach, bluff, and wave, adieu. Whittier. [1913 Webster] 2. An act of bluffing; an expression of self confidence for… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
bluff — s.m.inv. 1. TS giochi in alcuni giochi di carte, spec. nel poker, tattica con cui si cerca di indurre gli avversari a ritirarsi dal gioco facendo credere di avere un gioco superiore a quello effettivo 2. CO estens., il far credere qcs. più… … Dizionario italiano
Bluff — [bluf, blœf] Sm Täuschung erw. fremd. Erkennbar fremd (20. Jh.) Entlehnung. Entlehnt aus ne. bluff, dessen Herkunft nicht zweifelsfrei geklärt ist. Ausgangspunkt für die Entlehnung ist wohl das Kartenspiel Poker, bei dem der Bluff zur Spielpraxis … Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen sprache
Bluff — Bluff: Bluff общепринятое сокращение (обозначение) имени ботаника, которое добавляется к научным (латинским) названиям некоторых таксонов ботанической (бинарной) номенклатуры и указывает на то, что автором этих наименований является… … Википедия
