curtly

[ kurt-lee ]

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of curtly¹

curt ( def ) + -ly

Example Sentences

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

From New York Times

“Listen, what I talk to Russell about is none of your business,” he said curtly to a reporter.

From Seattle Times

Reid curtly batted away continued questions about the 20-17 defeat, where a rare offside penalty on wide receiver Kadarius Toney negated what would have been the go-ahead touchdown in the final minutes.

From Seattle Times

Driver curtly answered, “F— you. I don’t know. Next question.”

From Los Angeles Times

“Of course I’m concerned. She couldn’t walk off the pitch,” she said before curtly responding to White’s claim that there was no backup plan in place at the Euros.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• bluntly
• crudely
• harshly