BLUFF Synonyms: 196 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'bluff' distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of bluff are blunt , brusque , crusty , curt , and gruff . While all these words mean "abrupt and unceremonious in speech and manner," bluff connotes good-natured outspokenness and unconventionality. // a bluff manner

Q: When can 'blunt' be used instead of 'bluff'?

The meanings of blunt and bluff largely overlap; however, blunt suggests directness of expression in disregard of others' feelings. // a blunt appraisal

Q: When is it sensible to use 'brusque' instead of 'bluff'?

While the synonyms brusque and bluff are close in meaning, brusque applies to a sharpness or ungraciousness. // a brusque response

Q: When might 'crusty' be a better fit than 'bluff'?

Although the words crusty and bluff have much in common, crusty suggests a harsh or surly manner sometimes concealing an inner kindliness. // a crusty exterior

Q: When would 'curt' be a good substitute for 'bluff'?

The words curt and bluff can be used in similar contexts, but curt implies disconcerting shortness or rude conciseness. // a curt command

Q: When could 'gruff' be used to replace 'bluff'?

In some situations, the words gruff and bluff are roughly equivalent. However, gruff suggests a hoarse or husky speech which may imply bad temper but more often implies embarrassment or shyness. // puts on a gruff pose

bluff 1 of 3

adjective

ˈbləf

Definition of bluff

as in blunt

being or characterized by direct, brief, and potentially rude speech or manner he's a bluff but good-hearted teacher

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

bluff

2 of 3

noun

as in cliff

a steep wall of rock, earth, or ice fossils embedded in a stone bluff that date from the Jurassic period

Synonyms & Similar Words

bluff

3 of 3

verb

as in to fool

to cause to believe what is untrue I bluffed the interviewer into believing that I could really speak French and thus would be the perfect person to serve in the newspaper's Paris bureau

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to pretend

to present a false appearance of the basketball player bluffed a shot, then passed instead

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word bluff distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of bluff are blunt, brusque, crusty, curt, and gruff. While all these words mean "abrupt and unceremonious in speech and manner," bluff connotes good-natured outspokenness and unconventionality.

a bluff manner

When can blunt be used instead of bluff?

The meanings of blunt and bluff largely overlap; however, blunt suggests directness of expression in disregard of others' feelings.

a blunt appraisal

When is it sensible to use brusque instead of bluff?

While the synonyms brusque and bluff are close in meaning, brusque applies to a sharpness or ungraciousness.

a brusque response

When might crusty be a better fit than bluff?

Although the words crusty and bluff have much in common, crusty suggests a harsh or surly manner sometimes concealing an inner kindliness.

a crusty exterior

When would curt be a good substitute for bluff?

The words curt and bluff can be used in similar contexts, but curt implies disconcerting shortness or rude conciseness.

a curt command

When could gruff be used to replace bluff?

In some situations, the words gruff and bluff are roughly equivalent. However, 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 bluff

Adjective

One day in 2010, an e-mail from Steve Wentzel, the Zimbabwean tycoon, arrived in the in-box of one of South Pole’s founders—a tall, bluff German man named Christian Dannecker. — Heidi Blake, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023 Though the Explorer majors much more on practicality, somehow Ford has managed to turn a fairly bluff front-end styling and generally boxy silhouette familiar to properly sensible family SUV into an attractive design. — WIRED, 21 Mar. 2023

Noun

In Utqiaġvik, a bluff’s partial collapse in 2023 and 2024 brought the bluff’s eroding edge close to roads and buildings. — Ming Xiao, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2026 The helicopter was configured for a 100-foot longline rescue, and after reaching the promontory, a tactical flight officer was lowered to the victim who was able to stand and be hooked to the rescue line and lifted off the bluff. — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026

Verb

His team didn’t bluff their way to draws against Spain, Uruguay or Saudi Arabia. — Matt Slater, New York Times, 29 June 2026 The plan for the stadium could still collapse; the Bears’ billionaire owners could be bluffing to secure an Arlington Heights deal. — Gretchen Kalwinski, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for bluff

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bluff

Adjective

Fringe can be worn in many ways, from short blunt sides to wispy layers.

— Audrey Noble, Vogue, 12 Oct. 2026
Her style is pithy and blunt, avoiding the ornate sentence structure of classical German.

— Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of blunt

Noun

Italy’s tourism site notes that professional divers leap from the cliffs during organized events.

— Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Travelers familiar with Scotland’s Isle of Skye may recognize this recipe for remote luxury, though rather than craggy cliffs and emerald-green glens, Noirmoutier is closer to a little slice of California.

— Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of cliff

Verb

Lee ingratiates himself by pretending to be interested in becoming a CO himself — attracted to the manliness and the glamor.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
In a news release, police said that 25-year-old Baldwin Park resident Juan Carlos Amaya contacted the teenage girl via Snapchat and began talking to her while pretending to be 17 years old.

— Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of pretend

Adjective

The minutes had passed so quickly for the rest of the world, but for the families waiting to learn whether their children were alive, the abrupt end of the gunfire wasn’t the end of their agony.

— Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
Bass, for instance, oversaw the reappointment of McDonnell’s predecessor, Michel Moore, shortly after her election and stood by him for a year before Moore’s abrupt resignation in early 2024.

— Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of abrupt

Noun

The researchers say the ancient escarpment may have influenced river systems, sediment transport and the flooding of continental interiors long before the rapid diversification of complex life during the Cambrian explosion.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 21 Aug. 2026
Built around a towering sandstone escarpment that rises through the centre of the property, surrounded by a deliciously cold pool, the architecture was conceived in careful negotiation with the landscape.

— Lara Johnson-Wheeler, Vogue, 3 July 2026

Definition of escarpment

Verb

Those conducting the online scams are sometimes willing con artists, and other times trafficked foreign nationals -- many Chinese -- tricked themselves into work and held in prison-like compounds.

— CBS News, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
But a few times in recent years, Hollins, a veterinarian, tricked Jonathan and slid a cotton swab into the giant tortoise’s mouth to get a saliva sample.

— Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of trick

Verb

Its use during the exercise simulated an attack against an opposing naval force.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Principled Technologies' WebXPRT 4 browser test uses HTML5, JavaScript, and WebAssembly workloads to simulate tasks ranging from photo enhancement and OCR scans to sales graphs and online homework.

— Joe Osborne, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of simulate

Browse Nearby Words

blue water

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bluffed

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“Bluff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bluff. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of bluff

adjective

noun

verb

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