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blustery

blustery

1 6.8
Loud, forceful behavior that tries to bully other people
  • adjective
  • /ˈblʌstəri/
translation icon : bullicioso
  • She gets all blustery with me about why the hell I need so much time.
  • blustery man
  • blustery day
  • big and blustery

Examples

  • He seemed more aggressive, though sometimes a little blustery and desperate in the early stages.

    Blog text (8)
  • How lonely she was, I thought, despite her brave and blustery act.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Unfortunately, his response was a blustery one meant to shift the blame for the problem onto someone else.

    Blog text (23)
  • He talks in a loud, blustery manner.

  • It may seem strange, but Peggy took none of this blustery behavior seriously.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • In turn, others objected to the reverend's bold, blustery statements.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • With his blustery separation-of-powers rhetoric, Feeney made the perfect sponsor.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Not an office that necessarily exudes authority, and ED's blustery entrance only adds to the sense of chaos.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • But behind Ahmadinejad's blustery confidence and defiance, decades-old systemic forces are eroding Iran's economic stability.

    Academic text (2008)
  • The blustery man shouted orders at everyone in the room, leaving no room for dissent.

Synonyms

aggressive
vsblustery
311 3.7

Behaving in a hostile way and ready to attack or argue

is more about loud domineering talk meant to intimidate rather than attack
bossy
vsblustery
  • Informal
46 2.6

Being quick to tell people what to do in a forceful, unpleasant way

is more loudly aggressive and aims to bully rather than order
brash
vsblustery
31 6.6

Very confident in a rude, loud way that annoys other people

tends toward active domination and trying to control people
overbearing
vsblustery
30 5.8

Being proud and trying to control other people

behaves more loudly and pushes others around to get control
strident
vsblustery
22 7.2

Very loud and harsh in a way that feels unpleasant

leans toward aggressive control and bullying rather than pure loudness
loud-mouthed
vsblustery
  • Offensive
3 6.7

A person who speaks loudly and says rude things

is more about controlling others through aggressive speech not just rudeness
bumptious
vsblustery
1 9.9

Too confident and rude in a way that annoys other people

is typically louder and uses forceful speech to intimidate
full of bluster
vsblustery
1 7.4

Loud words that try to threaten or impress but have no real meaning

focuses on loud domination and real attempts to intimidate others
a bit pushy
vsblustery
1 6.8

To try too hard to make others agree or do something

is much louder and clearly tries to intimidate others rather than gently push
bullying
vsblustery
  • Offensive
3.7

Being loud and aggressive to frighten others

leans more toward loud aggressive display than planned intimidation
a bit scorpy
vsblustery
  • Informal
9.9

Being a little angry and easily annoyed with people

is louder and aims to overpower others, not merely being prickly

Antonyms

38 5.1

Willing to obey others and not argue

12 4.4

Quiet and gentle and not likely to speak up

How Domineering

blustery
1 6.8
domineering
12 7.4
bossy
  • Informal
46 2.6
forceful
62 4.3
assertive
42 4.2

Surface Forms

blustery positive

Morphology

blustery = bluster (transparent) = bluster + y

Derived from 'bluster' (loud, blustering behavior) + '-y', so 'given to bluster' is directly inferable.

Etymology

Blustery comes from bluster, which also means to speak loudly and 'boast' like a strong wind; so a 'blustery' person sounds loud and bossy and tries to push others around.