curtly

C3U1R1T1L1Y4

adverb

In a curt manner; tersely, almost rudely.

Similar
shortlyshort
OriginProto-Germanic *līką ← Proto-Indo-European *leyg- ← English curt →
UncommonScrabble 11
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Meanings

adverbcurtly (comparative more curtly, superlative most curtly)

comparative more curtly · superlative most curtly

  1. In a curt manner; tersely, almost rudely.

    She greeted me with a bright smile, and said: “Back already? Did you find it?” With a strong effort I mastered my emotion and replied curtly but civilly that the answer was in the negative. “No,” I said, “I did not find it.”

    1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter XVIII, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC

    Synonyms: shortly

Synonyms & antonyms

adverbIn a curt manner; tersely, almost rudely.

Similar
shortly

More synonyms by meaning

adverbin a curt, abrupt and discourteous manner

Similar
shortshortly
Also see
cavalierlyflatshortshortly

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Englishcurt
  2. Proto-Indo-European*leyg-
  3. Proto-Germanic*līką
  4. Englishcurtly

From curt + -ly.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

curtly. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/curtly

MLA

“curtly.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/curtly. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “curtly,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/curtly.

Source: curtly on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.