curt C2+ Topic:Communication US /kɝt/ UK /kɜːt/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj rudely brief in speech or manner Her curt reply made it clear she wished to end the conversation. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · rudely brief in speech or... tersebrusqueabruptshortbluntbrief ↔ Opposites verboseexpansivecourteouseffusive Word family Derived forms curtlycurtness Related forms curtail Etymology AI details From Latin curtus ('shortened, cut off, mutilated'), from a Proto-Indo-European root *(s)ker- ('to cut'). curtus Latin *(s)ker- Proto-Indo-European View etymology graph -> Topics Communication External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # curt **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /kɝt/ **IPA (UK):** /kɜːt/ ## Meanings 1. rudely brief in speech or manner ## Examples - Her curt reply made it clear she wished to end the conversation. ## Synonyms - terse - brusque - abrupt - short - blunt - brief ## Antonyms - verbose - expansive - courteous - effusive ## Derived Forms - curtly - curtness ## Related Forms - curtail ## Roots and Affixes - Root: curtus - Root: *(s)ker- ## Etymology From Latin curtus ('shortened, cut off, mutilated'), from a Proto-Indo-European root *(s)ker- ('to cut'). ## AI Etymology Curt comes from Latin curtus ('shortened, cut off, mutilated'), from a Proto-Indo-European root *(s)ker- ('to cut'). The etymological trail includes Latin curtus and Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker-. As an adjective, curt describes what is rudely brief in speech or manner. The same family is visible in derived forms such as curtly and curtness and related forms such as curtail. ## Topics - Communication markdown