laconic
adjective
Did you know?
We’ll keep it brief. Laconia was an ancient country in southern Greece. Its capital city was Sparta, and the Spartans were famous for their terseness of speech. Laconic comes to us by way of Latin from Greek Lakōnikos, meaning “native of Laconia.” In current use, laconic means “terse” or “concise to the point of seeming rude or mysterious,” and thus recalls the Spartans’ taciturnity.
Synonyms
Examples of laconic in a Sentence
Maureen Dowd, New York Times, 10 Oct. 1996
The closest anyone comes to announcing his destination is a laconic "Guess I'll head on in."
—Richard Rhodes, The Inland Ground, 1991
… towards the father—laconic, authoritarian, remote, an immigrant who'd trained in Galicia to be a rabbi but worked in America in a hat factory—their feelings were more confused.
—Philip Roth, Granta 24, Summer 1988
He had a reputation for being laconic.
the sportscaster's color commentary tends to be laconic but very much to the point
Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Oct. 2023
A lot of people loved Angus Cloud, the star of Euphoria who abruptly died today at the age of 25, for his voice — that syrupy laconic drawl that sounded like a podcast at .5x speed.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 31 July 2023
The joint is run by Billy (Hugo Weaving), whose every word is a shout, and his laconic partner, Carol (Ursula Yovich), who repeatedly reminds him not to drink and to pay the girls as well as the long-suffering vegetable vendor Tommy (Baykali Ganambarr).
—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2023
Romanian art-house favorite Radu Jude won the Special Jury Prize in Locarno for his latest, laconic effort, Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Aug. 2023
With his laconic style and gift for dry humor, a toothy smile and ironic glint in his eyes, Olyphant has the presence of an A-list Western star, something of John Wayne, James Stewart or, especially, Joel McCrea, but pitched to the long-form intimacy of the small screen.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 17 July 2023
But as secondary lead he’s reduced to being either laconic or heroic.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2023
Foster, on the other hand, proved to be a laconic guy who typically keeps his feelings in check.
—Mary Colurso | McOlurso@al.com, al, 26 Jan. 2023
Wilson also has a way of making these ego monsters seem harmless and sympathetic, thanks to a singularly laconic, deadpan delivery.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 5 Apr. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'laconic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Latin laconicus Spartan, from Greek lakōnikos; from the Spartan reputation for terseness of speech
1589, in the meaning defined above
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Cite this Entry
“Laconic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laconic. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.
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