brevity

noun

brev·​i·​ty ˈbre-və-tē 

plural brevities

: shortness of duration

especially : shortness or conciseness of expression

Synonyms of brevity

• shortness
• conciseness

Examples of brevity in a Sentence

Mike Espy resigned under pressure as Secretary of Agriculture yesterday at a news conference remarkable for its brevity and general absence of whining. —New York Times, 4 Oct. 1994

Lincoln was able to achieve the loftiness, ideality, and brevity of the Gettysburg Address because he had spent a good part of the 1850s repeatedly relating all the most sensitive issues of the day to the Declaration's supreme principle. —Garry Wills, Lincoln At Gettysburg, 1992

The book's brevity is its major defect. Admittedly, readers of military history have been smothered by portentous tomes of a thousand pages or more. But 365 pages are too few to tell the Normandy story. —Drew Middleton, New York Times Book Review, 15 Aug. 1982

"Maudie, I'm sure I don't know what you mean," said Mrs. Merriweather. "I'm sure you do," Miss Maudie said shortly. She said no more. When Miss Maudie was angry, her brevity was icy. —Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960

The book's major flaw is its brevity.

the best quality a graduation speech can have is brevity

Recent Examples on the Web

Default to clarity over brevity, invite async questions explicitly and resist assuming silence means agreement. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026

Questions and answers have been edited for brevity and clarity. — ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026

Even the climax of that event, designed for brevity, turned into a five-hour marathon that stretched to midnight. — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

In my specific case, the instructions for brevity, scannability, and strict citation formatting are hard-coded with massive priority. — New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin brevitas, from brevis — see breve

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for brevity

• levity
• longevity

Kids Definition

brevity

noun

brev·​i·​ty ˈbrev-ət-ē 

: the condition of being brief