curtly

Everyday

Curtly means in a short, rude, unfriendly way, using very few words. tree →

In the lessons

A story word showing that a character is cold, annoyed or impatient: «"No," she said curtly.» In Alice, many creatures answer Alice curtly; in The Wind in the Willows the Badger can be curt with Toad. In everyday life, a curt reply can hurt feelings.

Examples

• «No,» he said curtly, and shut the door. tree →
• The clerk curtly told us to wait. tree →
• The Caterpillar answered Alice curtly. tree →
• She nodded curtly and walked away. tree →
• He curtly refused to help. tree →
• The letter was curtly written. tree →
• "I ain't tellin' no tales ter bad chilluns," said Uncle Remus curtly. tree →

Note

From «curt» (short and rude) + «-ly». Not the same as «shortly», which means «soon».