telegraphic

adjective

tele·​graph·​ic ˌte-lə-ˈgra-fik How to pronounce telegraphic (audio)
1
: of or relating to the telegraph
2
telegraphically adverb

Examples of telegraphic in a Sentence

when dealing with her staff, she communicated mostly in telegraphic sentences and meaningful looks
Recent Examples on the Web Chan perused some 170 telegraphic code books, finally coming across a section about signals used by the US Army Signal Corps that were similar to the pages found in the antique silk dress. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 30 Jan. 2024 As a grad student, Blackburn began trying her hand at this telegraphic style of storytelling. Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2024 Woolery encourages a broad, telegraphic style in her actors, but Tousey, as Bobbie, operates from a stillness as foundational as that Manhattan schist. Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2023 Readouts are highly telegraphic, and directly illuminated at night with soft, white light. Don Sherman, Car and Driver, 22 Feb. 2023 Courting: Early telegraphic line networks were built, embedded into the ocean floor, and insulated with the plant-based, and revolutionary use of, gutta-percha. Riza Cruz, ELLE, 27 May 2022 His style was telegraphic, concise and direct, founded in journalism. Roxana Robinson, The New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2022 Back in 2019, Schjeldahl produced a staggering essay about his terminal cancer — its sentences taut and telegraphic — for the New Yorker. Carolina A. Mirandacolumnist, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2022 The Prada show, anyway, was about refusing telegraphic and concise runway show messages, and instead seeing fashion as an invitation to conversation and thought. Rachel Tashjian, Harper's BAZAAR, 3 Oct. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'telegraphic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1794, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of telegraphic was in 1794

Dictionary Entries Near telegraphic

Cite this Entry

“Telegraphic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/telegraphic. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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