- Main Entry:
- con·cise
- Pronunciation:
-
\kən-ˈsīs\
- Function:
- adjective
- Etymology:
- Latin concisus, from past participle of concidere to cut up, from com- + caedere to cut, strike
- Date:
- circa 1590
: marked by brevity of expression or statement : free from all elaboration and superfluous detail <a concise summary> <a concise definition>
— con·cise·ly adverb
— con·cise·ness noun
synonyms concise,
terse,
succinct,
laconic,
summary,
pithy,
compendious mean very brief in statement or expression.
concise suggests the removal of all that is superfluous or elaborative
<a concise description>.
terse implies pointed conciseness
<a terse reply>.
succinct implies the greatest possible compression
<a succinct letter of resignation>.
laconic implies brevity to the point of seeming rude, indifferent, or mysterious
<an aloof and laconic stranger>.
summary suggests the statement of main points with no elaboration or explanation
<a summary listing of the year's main events>.
pithy adds to
succinct or
terse the implication of richness of meaning or substance
<a comedy sharpened by pithy one-liners>.
compendious applies to what is at once full in scope and brief and concise in treatment
<a compendious dictionary>.
