Of utterances (occasionally of gestures, etc.): Rudely, angrily, or sternly brief or curt. Of persons (chiefly predicative): Rudely or angrily curt…

Short to rudeness; curt, snappish.

Of persons: Using, or apt to use, sharp, harsh, or uncivil language; peevish, testy, or ill-natured in speech or reply.

Of a person or a person's manner: curt or brusque, esp. to the point of rudeness; bluff, direct, unceremonious. Cf. short, adj. 10a.

Obstinate, stubborn; rudely or angrily curt or blunt. (Chiefly applied to persons.) Now only dialect.

Abrupt of speech or manner; plain-spoken; curt; without delicacy; unceremonious.

Somewhat rough or rude in manner; blunt, ‘offhand’.

Sharp, curt, snappish; peevish, petulant.

Blunt in manner, curt. Obsolete.

In allied senses, chiefly unfavourable. (With senses A. 2c, A. 2d, cf. French brusque.) Sharp-witted, pert; curt.

figurative. Of persons and their manner, actions, etc.. in an unfavourable sense: ‘Big, surly, blustering’ (Johnson); toned down in later use…

Of persons: acting in such a manner; unceremonious, unstudied. Now usually in negative sense: ungraciously or offensively casual or cool in manner…

Disjointed, jerky; sudden, unexpected; = abrupt, adj. 3. rare.

Abrupt, blunt, curt. Obsolete.

Hasty, forward, abrupt, blunt. Obsolete. rare.

transferred and figurative. Applied to anything possessing qualities more or less characteristic of… figurative. Short, sharp, brisk, decided in…

Curt or abrupt in manner. rare.

Sulky, obstinate; curt, blunt. dialect.

So brief as to be wanting in courtesy or suavity.

= snappish, adj. 1.

Rather bluff, inclining to bluffness.

Sharp (in various senses); spec. brusque; impudent, cheeky; ill-natured.

Rather offhand; off-handed.

Brusque; impudent, cheeky; ill-natured. Cf. nebby, adj. 2.