tersely

IPA/ˈtɜːsli/
KK[tˈɚsli]IPA/ˈtɜːrsli/

tersely — 副詞

1. said or written in very few words, often making the speaker or writer seem unwil

1.副詞B2
釋義

簡短地

用極少話語回應，常顯冷漠或生硬

said or written in very few words, often making the speaker or writer seem unwilling to be friendly or polite

例句

Aaron told the waiter to bring the check, then added tersely: 'Keep the change.'

Aaron 請服務生拿帳單來，然後簡短地說：『不用找了。』

verb + tersely after a quoted statement

When reporters asked about the merger, the CEO tersely replied: 'No comment.'

記者問到合併案時，執行長簡短地回答：『無可奉告。』

tersely + verb in a typical public-response context

同義詞
  • curtly

    more negative than tersely; always implies rudeness or unfriendliness

  • abruptly

    focuses on suddenness rather than word count; suggests the speaker cut off a conversation

  • brusquely

    suggests bluntness and impatience; stronger sense of dismissal

  • concisely

    neutral or positive; means brief in a helpful way, without any rudeness

反義詞

文法句型

[verb] + tersely

tersely + [verb]

was + tersely + [past participle]

用法筆記

Most common with verbs of communication (said, replied, wrote, informed, added). A tersely worded statement can sound rude even when the speaker did not intend to be unfriendly — it depends on the listener's expectation of a fuller response.

常見錯誤

❌She briefly told him to leave.
✅She tersely told him to leave.
💡'Briefly' means 'for a short time'; 'tersely' means 'using few words, often with an unfriendly tone.'