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

The Latour influence stretched from European high society to the Artois brewing empire, before finally reaching the bluffs of Esparza. — Donna Hardie-Scott, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 While driving through Mendocino, make sure to stop by Mendocino Headlands State Park to witness the ocean bluffs and meander the coastal trails with your pup. — Rebecca R. Norris, USA Today, 22 July 2026

Verb

Though lovelorn and broke, Annie bluffs her way through the expensive and bizarre rituals. — John Wenzel, Denver Post, 30 Apr. 2026 Don't try to bluff this deal, and get it asap! — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 20 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bluff

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bluff

Adjective

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni issued the most blunt criticism of Sanchez, as well as announcing that Italy would enforce air and sea border controls with Spain.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
BookTok’s preferences may skew toward familiar beats and blunt-force sensation, but in Harpman the hive mind has alighted on something more capacious and slippery.

— Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of blunt

Noun

Avalanche deaths can also occur through blunt force trauma as the snow slides slam into people and sweep them into trees or boulders, or in some cases over cliff edges.

— Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 8 Aug. 2026
However, the population of little red dots drops off a cliff at redshifts equating to less than 12 billion years ago.

— Keith Cooper, Space.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of cliff

Noun

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
The tents are perched on top of escarpment with views of the TK below.

— Judy Koutsky, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026

Definition of escarpment

Verb

Lord Ormund’s Gambit Lord Ormund has many, many tricks up his green sleeves.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Meanwhile, there has been a slew of viral videos on TikTok and other social media platforms in which users allegedly show how to trick the monitoring systems for the exam.

— Mauricio Torres, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of trick

Verb

Here’s music that doesn’t just deal with pain but structurally simulates it—music about falling apart that falls apart itself.

— Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 2 Aug. 2026
Remigio collected the ball in the end zone and ran it up the field to simulate an in-game situation.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026

Definition of simulate

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“Bluff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bluff. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of bluff

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verb

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