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
Cliff Lewis, Oc Register, 4 Apr. 2025
Many had dismissed his tariff promises as a bluff or a negotiating tactic.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2025
Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 23 Jan. 2025
This sets the stage for a second season, albeit one presumably missing the tension of a man bluffing his way through a profession that’s not his own.
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 19 Mar. 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.
—Noun
With tide pools below and a grassy bluff above, this serene park offers a sense of calm that’s even more powerful when shared with fewer people.
—Verb
Slate: Joe Biden clearly thinks Donald Trump isn’t bluffing.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for bluff
Adjective
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Autopsy results revealed that Morin had endured 15 to 20 blows to the head and had died from a combination of strangulation and blunt force trauma.—
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Not to be blunt, but there’s really no good excuse to skip SPF application, regardless of your skin tone or skin type.—
Noun
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Instead, while City have not merely dipped but fallen off a cliff, Arsenal are set to finish a distant second to a team in Liverpool who have signed just one player all season — Federico Chiesa, who has barely played.—
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The transition to adulthood —college, work, relationships — can feel like falling off a cliff.—
Verb
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That attempt was soon fooled by sloppy play in the neutral zone that gave Brad Marchand a short-handed opportunity.—
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Then, as if anyone was fooled, the talk show host pulled off his hat, wig and snap-on nose and lip piercings and Sheeran pulled of his wig to reveal his signature carrot top to shouts of joy.—
Verb
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Read: America is done pretending about meat All of this social-media attention has been translating into people’s actual eating habits, Victoria Fitzgerald, who oversees Whole Foods Market’s meat merchandising, told me.—
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One such channel, Truthful Mykolaiv, pretends to be local but pushes Kremlin narratives.—
Adjective
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Loading your audio article OAKLAND — Less than a year after Alameda County agreed to his release from prison in an abrupt turnabout, a local resident has been charged with nine felonies in connection with a recent shooting.—
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As a result, a conclusion that seems like it’s supposed to be shocking lands as a glib, abrupt cop-out.—
Noun
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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.—
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The stately Fairmont Le Château Frontenac is a ubiquitous presence in Quebec City, always peering down on visitors from its highpoint on the Cap Diamant escarpment.—
Verb
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Be Wary of Phishing Emails and Texts After a breach, scammers may impersonate the affected company to trick you into clicking malicious links.—
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She was tricked by the very devilish Zeus, who broke his way into many marriages.—
Verb
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At the same time, AI tools can simulate these attacks so security teams can identify and address organizational vulnerabilities before an actual attack takes place.—
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In early February, New Shepard successfully simulated the moon's low gravity on board its capsule during a brief flight.—
Cite this Entry
“Bluff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bluff. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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