curtly

American  

[kurt-lee] / ˈkɜrt li /

adverb

1. so briefly or stiffly as to seem rude or snippy; tersely: Saying nothing, she nodded curtly at me and pointed to one of the two chairs.

   The officer saw my foreign passport and curtly ordered me to step aside.

   Saying nothing, she nodded curtly at me and pointed to one of the two chairs.

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Etymology

Origin of curtly

curt ( def. ) + -ly

Explanation

When you say something in the shortest, most direct way, you do it curtly. People who speak curtly tend to use as few words as possible. Respond curtly to someone and you risk coming across as a bit rude, like when your sister asks for a bite of the brownie you're eating, and you curtly answer, "Nope." Or when a restaurant patron snaps at the server, curtly demanding a water refill. This adverb describes actions that are brief and to the point, and often brusque or abrupt. Curtly is derived from a root that means "to cut."

Example Sentences

When she tries to compliment his picturesque farmland, he curtly responds, “It’s nothing like the soil I knew when I was young.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2025

I realised the man was the minister for health, Dr Thet Khaing Win, and approached him for an interview but he curtly rejected my request.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2025

When Ms. Ford asked her curtly, “Who do you think you are, Cleopatra?”

From New York Times • Jan. 13, 2024

"Visibly and audibly irritated, Cannon curtly adjourned Nauta’s hearing, promising to issue a scheduling order calling for more briefing and another hearing," Roger Parloff wrote in a Monday article for Lawfare.

From Salon • Oct. 17, 2023

“You have no choice in the matter,” he said curtly.

From "Ash" by Malinda Lo

Related Words

• bluntly
• crudely
• harshly