as in blunt
being or characterized by direct, brief, and potentially rude speech or manner
he's a bluff but good-hearted teacher
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to fool
to cause to believe what is untrue
I bluffed the interviewer into believing that I could really speak French and thus would be the perfect person to serve in the newspaper's Paris bureau
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to pretend
to present a false appearance of
the basketball player bluffed a shot, then passed instead
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bluff
Heidi Blake, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023
Though the Explorer majors much more on practicality, somehow Ford has managed to turn a fairly bluff front-end styling and generally boxy silhouette familiar to properly sensible family SUV into an attractive design.
—WIRED, 21 Mar. 2023
Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 13 June 2025
When Gray tracks the scent of two bodies buried in the bluff, everything changes.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 31 May 2025
Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 June 2025
Count My Lies centers on compulsive liar Sloane Caraway, who bluffs her way into a job as a nanny for a gorgeous and charismatic couple, Violet and Jay Lockhart.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bluff
Adjective
One day in 2010, an e-mail from Steve Wentzel, the Zimbabwean tycoon, arrived in the in-box of one of South Pole’s founders—a tall, bluff German man named Christian Dannecker.
—Heidi Blake, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023
Though the Explorer majors much more on practicality, somehow Ford has managed to turn a fairly bluff front-end styling and generally boxy silhouette familiar to properly sensible family SUV into an attractive design.
—WIRED, 21 Mar. 2023
Noun
My heart started hammering when Will climbed onto a rocky bluff to spy on a troop of baboons and came within feet of a massive kudu.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 13 June 2025
When Gray tracks the scent of two bodies buried in the bluff, everything changes.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 31 May 2025
Verb
President Donald Trump has stripped down and distorted the lessons of the late statesman into a crude, transactional, impulsive worldview that mistakes bluffing for strength and coercion for strategy.
—Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 June 2025
Count My Lies centers on compulsive liar Sloane Caraway, who bluffs her way into a job as a nanny for a gorgeous and charismatic couple, Violet and Jay Lockhart.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bluff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bluff
Adjective
-
The cause of death was traumatic blunt force injuries.—
Shannon Tyler,
Idaho Statesman,
21 July 2025
-
The magnetized tank struck the child, who died of blunt force trauma injuries.—
Dakin Andone,
CNN Money,
20 July 2025
Noun
-
The hike comes with a rewarding payoff: The view of waters rushing off a cliff into a turquoise pool, a setting that's the crown jewel of the Havasupai Indian Reservation.—
Michael Salerno,
AZCentral.com,
25 July 2025
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Tourists lean out windows to snap pictures of the steady stream of melting snow tumbling over a small band of cliffs onto the road ringed by towering high alpine peaks and even bigger waterfalls.—
Kirk Siegler,
NPR,
24 July 2025
Verb
-
His impersonation is so convincing that Lu and Shin are initially fooled.—
Allison DeGrushe Published,
EW.com,
14 July 2025
-
The Mets couldn’t pick up his slider and were fooled on his changeup.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
13 July 2025
Verb
-
Dad is the one who's going to pretend to be a predator stalking the child and pretending to be a big, scary monster.—
Hannah Nwoko,
Parents,
22 July 2025
-
Upon spotting himself on the big screen, Cohen immediately reached over and pretended to make out with a shocked Cooper.—
Emlyn Travis Published,
EW.com,
22 July 2025
Adjective
-
There are subtle transitions in this narrative, carefully plotted points of reference which keep the story from ever feeling disjointed or abrupt.—
Rachel Elspeth Gross,
Forbes.com,
20 July 2025
-
In an abrupt June 23 announcement—only two months after the deal was unveiled—Novo Nordisk severed the partnership.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 July 2025
Noun
-
With that enormous amount of moisture serving as fuel, the winds hitting the escarpment in West Texas served as a kind of match that started the storms.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
6 July 2025
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As sunrise paints the rocks crimson only the call of baboons echoing between rocky escarpments punctuates the silence.—
Chloe Berge,
Outside Online,
17 June 2025
Verb
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Luckily for Marian, much of Bertha’s attention is stolen by the unexpected arrival of her unsophisticated sister; Bertha’s too busy making snide comments and tricking her into wearing nicer gowns to even bother with Marian.—
Andy Swift,
TVLine,
13 July 2025
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The offense is built on outside runs and tricking the defense.—
Ted Nguyen,
New York Times,
8 July 2025
Verb
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Much like a band might bring in a touring musician to test chemistry and capability before offering a permanent spot, businesses are using interim roles to simulate the pressure of the top job.—
Rhett Power,
Rolling Stone,
15 July 2025
-
Miami’s public-school system, one of the largest in the country, has made Gemini available to more than 100,000 high schoolers; teachers there are using it to simulate interactions with historical figures and provide immediate feedback on assignments.—
Lila Shroff,
The Atlantic,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bluff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bluff. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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