More brusque out of anguish or terror (7)
I believe the answer is:
shorter
'more brusque' is the definition.
('short' can be a synonym of 'brusque')
'out of anguish or terror' is the wordplay.
'out of' indicates a hidden word.
'SHORTER' is hidden within 'anguish or terror'.
(Other definitions for shorter that I've seen before include "With less length" , "More limited in duration" , "More lacking in length" , "Not so tall" , "Lower in stature" .)