EN

Synonyms for bluff

  • adjective
  • noun

Synonyms by meaning

Adjective

1. Blunt — roughly frank and hearty in one's manners

blunt, abrupt, brusque, rude, frank, rough, rugged, open, plain-spoken, gruff, harsh, direct, bearish, unceremonious, surly, churlish, impolite, coarse, uncivil, ungracious

2. Steep

steep, bold, precipitous, sheer

Other

hectoring

Noun

cliff, promontory, face, blustering, bullshit, four flush, buttress, feku

Definitions

  1. adj. 1

    Roughly frank and hearty in one's manners.

    a bluff manner of talking

  2. adj. 2

    Having a broad, flattened front.

  3. n. 1

    An act of bluffing; a false expression of the strength of one’s position in order to intimidate or deceive; braggadocio.

    That is only bluff, or That is only a bluff.

Related words

Word family
bluffer bluffly
Phrases
bluff out

Forms

Plural
bluffs → cliffs, promontories, faces, blusterings…

Choose the right word

Bluff, Frank or Open?

Bluff is a word of good meaning, as are frank and open. The bluff man talks and laughs loudly and freely, says and does whatever he pleases with fearless good nature, and with no thought of annoying or giving pain to others.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Popularity over time

Word1850 → 2019Trend
bluffrising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters
open2, face1, bold1, rude1, feku
5 letters
frank1, rough1, harsh1, cliff1, steep1, sheer1, blunt1, surly2, gruff1
6 letters
direct2, rugged2, abrupt2, coarse1
7 letters
bearish2, brusque1, uncivil3
8 letters
bullshit2, buttress2, impolite3, churlish2
9 letters
hectoring3
10 letters
promontory, blustering3, ungracious
11 letters
precipitous4
13 letters
unceremonious6

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (open2 = 2 syllables).