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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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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
Susanne Rust
follow, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2026
Trump supporters often make the case that his stances should not be taken at face value and are mere bluffs designed for negotiation.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2025
Mulugheta, who employed a similar strategy with client Jalen Ramsey that successfully forced a trade during the 2019 regular season, does not come off as a man who cavalierly bluffs.
—Michael Silver, New York Times, 29 Aug. 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
In the 1980s, the two spearheaded a successful ballot measure that still protects the coast from non-agricultural development and ensured access to the beaches and bluffs.
—Susanne Rust
follow, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2026
Trump supporters often make the case that his stances should not be taken at face value and are mere bluffs designed for negotiation.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
Verb
On the second interception, Simmons said Delaware bluffed as if an all-out blitz was coming before falling back into coverage and making the pick.
—Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2025
Mulugheta, who employed a similar strategy with client Jalen Ramsey that successfully forced a trade during the 2019 regular season, does not come off as a man who cavalierly bluffs.
—Michael Silver, New York Times, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bluff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bluff
Adjective
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And while she’s known for experimenting with her look — from waist-length neon wigs to sleek blunt bobs — Cardi has shown that her natural hair is full and long, stretching down her back.—
Ryma Chikhoune,
Footwear News,
11 Feb. 2026
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Its descriptively blunt autobiographical accounts of palpable angst start off reserved—but never boring—and slowly blossom into an explosive finish.—
Billie Bugara,
Pitchfork,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The striking latticework rectangles of Alila Uluwatu, an all-villa resort set high on a cliff on the Bukit Peninsula, has become an icon for contemporary Bali.—
Juliet Kinsman,
Condé Nast Traveler,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Instead of sandy beaches, its dark volcanic cliffs drop abruptly into the sea.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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These ads may not have fooled as many of us as their makers seemed to think.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Feb. 2026
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And don’t let the utilities and their friends fool you.—
Kendall Keelen,
Hartford Courant,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
By age 2, most kids know how to play pretend.—
Adithi Ramakrishnan,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Chris Kreider, winger, B+ Jacob Trouba, defenseman, B+ Both players were jettisoned by the New York Rangers, who sunk in the standings and have continued selling off after pretending as though their leadership group was the issue.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The level of disruption — particularly coming from the United States with the very abrupt closure of USAID, but combined with broader cuts [by] traditional European donors and the UK — does have a human impact.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
6 Feb. 2026
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Those were some of the last words that reverberated through Friendship Missionary Baptist Church Thursday night after the abrupt end of Charlotte City Councilman Malcolm Graham’s town hall meeting.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
As the sun dropped and the temperature fell, Scarabeo Roches Noires emerged on the horizon, a small cluster of white tents perched on a rocky escarpment.—
Fergus Scholes,
TheWeek,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Angama Mara, which opened in 2016 and sits on top of the Oloololo escarpment overlooking the Mara Triangle, comprises two camps.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But a new study suggests that, in certain organs, tumors actively communicate with the brain to trick it into protecting them.—
Jacek Krywko,
Scientific American,
4 Feb. 2026
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Experts say such scam operations in Cambodia and elsewhere have cheated people around the world out of billions of dollars and tricked people from many countries to work in them under slave-like conditions.—
Sakchai Lalit,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Held annually in October, the events simulate the process of air travel from check-in to boarding to introduce autistic children to the experience of air travel.—
Michael Salerno,
USA Today,
8 Feb. 2026
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One of his chief responsibilities is preparing the scout-team offense, which is tasked every practice with simulating the next opponent in an 11-on-11 setting against the Pats’ starting defense.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bluff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bluff. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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