curt

[ kurt ]
See synonyms for curt on Thesaurus.com
adjective,curt·er, curt·est.
  1. rudely brief in speech or abrupt in manner.

  2. brief; concise; terse; laconic.

  1. short; shortened.

Origin of curt

1
First recorded in 1620–30, curt is from the Latin word curtus “shortened, short, cut short”

synonym study For curt

2. See blunt.

Other words for curt

Other words from curt

  • curt·ly, adverb
  • curt·ness, noun

Other definitions for Curt (2 of 2)

Curt
[ kurt ]

noun
  1. a male given name, form of Curtis.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use curt in a sentence

  • Both men curtly acknowledged Barrington's greeting, hardly conscious of the curtness maybe.

    The Light That Lures | Percy Brebner
  • Stephen was made of much finer stuff than Bob, but he had not the latter's graceful humor and his curtness jarred.

    The Girl From Keller's | Harold Bindloss
  • The command came when it was needed, for Hetty was almost dismayed, and its curtness was bracing.

    The Cattle-Baron's Daughter | Harold Bindloss
  • Amory supposed that it must be something in that close and grey-looking oblong that was at the bottom of his imperious curtness.

    Gray youth | Oliver Onions
  • I returned his nod with a curtness I was at no pains to dissemble.

    The Firefly Of France | Marion Polk Angellotti

British Dictionary definitions for curt

curt

/ (kɜːt) /


adjective
  1. rudely blunt and brief; abrupt: a curt reply

  2. short or concise

Origin of curt

1
C17: from Latin curtus cut short, mutilated

Derived forms of curt

  • curtly, adverb
  • curtness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012