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# curt

«curt» in Mova's school dictionary: **rudely short: a curt reply uses very few words and sounds…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

adjective (curt, curter, curtest — comparatives rare; usually more curt)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Curt means rudely short: a curt reply uses very few words and sounds cold or unfriendly. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/curt/#m1)

2) (rare) Curt can mean simply brief or short. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/curt/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In stories it shows a character's mood: a curt answer tells the reader that someone is cross, busy or does not want to talk. In everyday life it helps describe how people speak. Phrases: «a curt reply», «a curt nod», «curt tone». Related adverb: curtly.

### examples

- «No,» she said in a curt voice. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/curt/#x1)
- His curt reply made me feel silly for asking. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/curt/#x2)
- The shopkeeper gave us a curt nod. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/curt/#x3)
- Try not to be curt with your little sister. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/curt/#x4)
- The email was curt: «Not today.» [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/curt/#x5)
- The coach was curt after the team lost. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/curt/#x6)
- I'm sorry I was so curt with you this morning. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/curt/#x7)

### note

Adjective; adverb: curtly; noun: curtness. Do not confuse with «Kurt» or «Curt» (boys' names) or with «curtain». A curt answer is short in a rude way; a «brief» answer is just short, not necessarily rude.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «curt» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/curt/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.