succinct
adjective
sə-ˈsiŋ(k)t
Patricia Mazzei and Charlie Savage
Did you know?
A Succinct History of Succinct
The history of succinct might not be short, but it's a cinch to remember. Succinct traces to Latin succinctus ("tightly wrapped, concise"), which comes from the verb cingere ("to gird"), the word that gave us cincture and cinch. In its earliest uses succinct meant "confined" or "girded up," and, as such, it was often used in reference to garments encircled by a band. Eventually, succinct was extended to the realm of insects, where it meant "supported by a band of silk around the middle" (as in "the succinct pupa of a butterfly"). Later, the word was applied to writings. A "succinct" piece of writing is "compressed" or "compact" and uses as few words as possible.
Examples of succinct in a Sentence
Zachary Karabell, Newsweek, 9 Mar. 2009
As Esther Benbassa recounts in her dry but impressively succinct and informative history, they arrived in the Roman province of Gaul in the first centuries of the common era, and soon found themselves trod underfoot by the ascendant Christian church.
—David A. Bell, New Republic, 28 Feb. 2000
In his first work of popular science, English theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking proves himself to be a master of vivid clarity. His title, " A Brief History of Time," is understated even by British standards; in 198 pages Hawking manages no less than a succinct history of cosmology, a concise explanation of general relativity and its intersection with quantum mechanics …
—Richard Rhodes, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 1988
He gave a succinct overview of the expansion project.
a pocket guide that provides succinct explanations for rules of grammar and punctuation
Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2025
Speaking out about that slump for the Phillies’ biggest star, Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts offered a succinct response.
—Peter Chawaga, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
From bouncy dancehall riddims and hip-hop production inflections to tender country and western guitar licks, Treasure Self Love distills Iké’s wide range of childhood music into a succinct 11-track study of achieving wholeness by unflinchingly examining the darkest parts of your past.
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 18 Sep. 2025
For instance, communicating an update through email can be effective, but the email should be succinct rather than drawn out.
—Claire Rutkowski, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for succinct
Cite this Entry
“Succinct.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/succinct. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
succinct
adjective
sə-ˈsiŋ(k)t
Share