brusque
Americanadjective
adjective
Related Words
See blunt.
Other Word Forms
- brusquely adverb
- brusqueness noun
Etymology
Origin of brusque
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Middle French, from Italian brusco “rough, tart,” special use of brusco (noun) “butcher's broom,” from Late Latin brūscum, for Latin rūscus, rūscum, perhaps conflated with unattested Vulgar Latin brūcus “heather” ( brier 2 )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Every rendezvous he manages is different: A brusque businessman wants to see his mother, ostensibly because an important document is missing.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025
Whenever “Martha” captures these moments of introspection we see its eponymous figure exposed for what she is – ambitious and demanding, forward-thinking and innovative, brusque and task-obsessed.
From Salon • Oct. 30, 2024
Furious customers have even turned to Yelp, typically where you go to gripe about a soggy taco or brusque waiter, to lash out at the airline, which currently sits at 1.4 stars out of 5.
From Slate • Oct. 15, 2024
Capello's fierce, brusque style and the rigid repetition of Hodgson’s methods were out.
From BBC • Jul. 16, 2024
“Don’t know a word. I’m very stupid about studying anything, can’t bear French, it’s such a slippery, silly sort of language,” was the brusque reply.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
