curtly

C2+ Topic:Describing People

US /ˈkɜrtli/ UK /ˈkɜːtli/ See IPA manual

adv

Meanings

1

adv
in a brief and abrupt, often rude, manner

He answered curtly and turned away.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adv · in a brief and abrupt,... tersely brusquely abruptly bluntly shortly

Opposites

politely graciouslyexpansively

Word family

Related forms curtcurtnesscurtail

Etymology

From English 'curt' + the adverbial suffix -ly; 'curt' is from Latin curtus ('shortened, cut off').

curtus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing People Word Formation & Derivatives

# curtly

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adv
**IPA (US):** ˈkɜrtli
**IPA (UK):** ˈkɜːtli

## Meanings
1. in a brief and abrupt, often rude, manner

## Examples
- He answered curtly and turned away.

## Synonyms
- tersely
- brusquely
- abruptly
- bluntly
- shortly

## Antonyms
- politely
- graciously
- expansively

## Related Forms
- curt
- curtness
- curtail

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: curtus

## Etymology
From English 'curt' + the adverbial suffix -ly; 'curt' is from Latin curtus ('shortened, cut off').

## AI Etymology
Curtly is from English 'curt' + the adverbial suffix -ly; 'curt' is from Latin curtus ('shortened, cut off'). The immediate etymological form is Latin curtus. The suffix -ly forms an adverb or adjective from the base, so the English form is shaped by recognizable word formation as well as by its inherited or borrowed base. In present use as an adverb, it means "in a brief and abrupt, often rude, manner", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include curt, curtness, and curtail.

## Topics
- Describing People
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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curtly

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