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
Anthony Paletta, Curbed, 20 May 2025
His installation will be on a bluff at the western end of the park, overlooking Agua Hedionda Lagoon and the Pacific Ocean.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 May 2025
Charles Singh, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025
Investors, Wall Street executives and major donors convinced themselves either that Mr. Trump was bluffing, or would be talked out of his most aggressive tariff proposals.
—Tyler Pager, New York Times, 10 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
Beuys topped his chair with a bluff of fat covered in wax; Knight has swapped fat with a leather cushion attached with straps.
—Anthony Paletta, Curbed, 20 May 2025
His installation will be on a bluff at the western end of the park, overlooking Agua Hedionda Lagoon and the Pacific Ocean.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 May 2025
Verb
The current administration may be bluffing when high-percentage tariffs are announced, but many automakers lack the leverage to risk another round at the poker table.
Need a break?
—Charles Singh, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025
Investors, Wall Street executives and major donors convinced themselves either that Mr. Trump was bluffing, or would be talked out of his most aggressive tariff proposals.
—Tyler Pager, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bluff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bluff
Adjective
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Isaac Leal, 17, died on Monday, June 2, from a blunt force injury to the head, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 June 2025
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His autopsy revealed his head had blunt force trauma.—
Julia Marnin,
Miami Herald,
3 June 2025
Noun
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Markets rose in early trading Friday, with S&P 500 futures up 0.8% and bond yields nudging higher, reflecting investor confidence that the economy is cooling gradually — not falling off a cliff.—
Shannon Carroll,
Quartz,
6 June 2025
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Photo by Barbara Smits/Shutterstock Miner’s Beach Shingleton, Michigan Sandstone cliffs stained red, blue, and brown by minerals line Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.—
Elaine Glusac,
AFAR Media,
6 June 2025
Verb
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Reyes was a nice spring training story, but the Yankees were fooled by meaningless February and March stats.—
Chris Kirschner,
New York Times,
8 June 2025
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But don't be fooled, as these texts are sophisticated scams designed to steal your personal information or money.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2025
Verb
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Scam warnings have been issued in multiple states over criminals pretending to be from the Department of Motor Vehicles.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 June 2025
-
Johnson then dramatically threw the sweater across the front of her dress before relaxing deep into her seat and — now protected from any unwanted surprises — pretending to wipe the sweat from her brow.—
Emlyn Travis Published,
EW.com,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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Too many of them have abrupt, sloppy endings that suggest the rotund director wanted to wrap before his three-steak dinner got cold.—
Neal Justin,
Boston Herald,
13 June 2025
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The news Thursday about the abrupt scrubbing of the meet, scheduled for the last weekend in June at Drake Stadium, combines with USA Track and Field’s recent decision to take an event set at the same stadium for earlier in June — the L.A. Grand Prix — off the calendar.—
Eddie Pells,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2025
Noun
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Fun fact: The Pine Ridge is a 100-mile-long escarpment of sandstone bluffs and the main geologic feature of northwest Nebraska.—
Brian Higgins,
Outside Online,
20 May 2025
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The rim is a 1,200-foot-tall escarpment that rises dramatically above a broad valley, giving you the perfect perch for spotting the show.—
Graham Averill,
Outside Online,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Geragos asked Jane about presents that Diddy lavished upon her, for example, seemingly to suggest that his gift-giving indicated a romantic relationship, not a ruse to trick her into kink.—
Victoria Bekiempis,
Vulture,
11 June 2025
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Phishing pages masquerade as banks, auction sites, and other sensitive sites, hoping to trick victims into logging in.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
11 June 2025
Verb
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Advertisement Read More: The Worst Thing to Say to Someone Who’s Depressed In the June report, the organization stressed that AI tools that simulate human relationships need to be designed with safeguards that mitigate potential harm.—
Andrew R. Chow,
Time,
12 June 2025
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Researchers say a working quantum computer will be a useful tool to simulate complicated physics or do math that could decipher encrypted data.—
Chris Eudaily,
CNBC,
10 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bluff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bluff. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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