brief, monosyllabic | curt, sharp, tart | only
‘Billy, I think it''s your turn to wash the dishes,’ said Jane. A non-committal grunt was his only reply.

simple
Her reply was simple. ‘No,’ she said.

standard, usual
‘No comment’ is his standard reply to most questions.

straight
She refused to give a straight reply, deciding rather to defer the question.

evasive, non-committal | unsatisfactory | proper, satisfactory | suitable | correct | positive | negative | early, immediate, prompt, quick | formal | personal | written

get, have, receive
Have you had a reply to your letter yet?

give sb, make
He made no reply, but simply walked away.

send (back), write
I must write my letter in time for them to send back a reply.

elicit, produce
The report elicited a formal reply from the minister. | The questionnaire produced 9,000 replies.

await (written), wait for | expect

come (back)
‘No,’ came the reply. | A reply came back almost by return of post.

be forthcoming
They waited patiently for a reply but none seemed to be forthcoming.

card, form, slip
Please fill in the reply card and return it to us as soon as possible.

in ~ (to)
What did they say in reply? | I am writing in reply to your request for information on holidays in Italy.

~ from
a reply from the minister

~ to
my reply to your query

a chance to reply
She quickly left the room before he had a chance to reply.

a right of reply
I am grateful to you for having given me a right of reply (= the opportunity to respond) to the article in your magazine about my company.

merely, simply
He simply replied that he hadn''t the faintest idea.

directly
She did not reply directly to the allegations.

personally
Well, you weren''t expecting the prime minister to reply personally, were you?

at once, immediately | hastily, hurriedly, promptly, quickly | slowly | at length
‘OK,’ he replied at length. | She replied at length, but not to the point.

briskly, briefly, curtly, shortly, tersely | abruptly, brusquely, sharply | bluntly, flatly
‘No, you''re not,’ Graham replied bluntly.

firmly | gently, politely, soothingly | lightly | seriously | quietly, softly | angrily, bitterly, crossly, indignantly, sourly | coldly, coolly, icily | cautiously, guardedly, hesitantly, nervously | calmly, equably, evenly, mildly | sternly, stiffly | brightly, cheerfully | bleakly, grimly | drily, sarcastically, sardonically, sweetly (ironic), tartly | absently, vaguely | evasively | honestly | in kind
Charles was insulted and replied in kind (= by insulting them back).

not bother to
She didn''t even bother to reply.

to
He did not reply to my letter.

with
She replied with a smile.