pithy

adjective \ ˈpi-thē \

|Updated on: 16 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: pithy in a Sentence

Definition of pithy

pithier; pithiest

1 : consisting of or abounding in pith

2 : having substance and point : tersely cogent

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pithily

play \ˈpi-thə-lē\ adverb

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pithiness

play \ˈpi-thē-nəs\ noun

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Examples of pithy in a Sentence

… Gore's prowess had been blurred by his performance in the Quayle debate and by his four preceding years in the Senate, where the prevailing style is indirect and woolly-swathed in layers of "my distinguished colleague" and short on zingers and pithy remarks. —James Fallows, Atlantic, July 2000
I read my poems in L.A., chatted up the literary set, waxed pithy and beleaguered at the book signings and wine and cheese receptions. —Thomas Lynch, The Undertaking, 1997
He does not hold forth to his family or to his court of old men; he listens, … then delivers short, pithy edicts that are then followed. —Guy Martin, Esquire, June 1997
Unlike a great many other science books, the pithy, lyrical text never bogs down in a mudflat of facts. —Leonard S. Marcus, Parenting, December/January 1996
The critic gave the film a pithy review.
The book is filled with pithy sayings about love and loss.
a pithy little Mother's Day card

Recent Examples of pithy from the Web

The script is full of pithy sayings that suggest the sorts of struggles these resilient settlers endure.

— christopher arnott, courant.com, "Frontier Justice In 'Flyin' West' At Westport Playhouse," 5 June 2018
There’s an indissoluble complexity to the blockchain that forbids pithy description.

— stephen phillips, San Francisco Chronicle, "New tech books: ‘Conspiracy,’ ‘Broad Band,’ ‘The Truth Machine’," 1 June 2018
Claiming that Roseanne’s statement was somehow clever or pithy seems to indicate that people enjoyed it.

— jennifer wright, Harper's BAZAAR, "Roseanne Barr Succeeded Because of Her Backward Views," 31 May 2018
In the aftermath, some Facebook executives have taken to Twitter for a public charm offensive, sending pithy phrases and emoticons to reporters who cover the company.

— sheera frenkel and nellie bowles, New York Times, "Facebook Employees in an Uproar Over Executive’s Leaked Memo," 30 Mar. 2018
And come back with something pithy and witty about her.

— Fox News, "'Dragon energy': Kanye tweets his support of Trump," 26 Apr. 2018
Even in adversity, though, Mr. Fass, whose show airs Thursday nights at midnight, can be counted on for a pithy take on things.

— corey kilgannon, New York Times, "D.J. of the Counterculture Narrates Another Mishap: His Own," 23 Apr. 2018
Here are some pithy Bolton-isms that are clear-eyed and have the advantage of being right.

— cal thomas, Anchorage Daily News, "John Bolton’s enemies," 29 Mar. 2018
Like other tabloids, its stories are pithy and celebrities omnipresent.

— The Economist, "The Sun is toppled as Britain’s biggest newspaper," 22 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pithy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of pithy

see ¹pith

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1529

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

pithy Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of pithy

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.