as in concision
the quality or state of being marked by or using only few words to convey much meaning
the compactness of his prose requires a close, careful reading
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Recent Examples of compactness
If Florida redraws the map to get more of a partisan edge, some of those districts could end up splitting communities and lose their compactness, which makes the state vulnerable to lawsuits.
—
Romy Ellenbogen, Miami Herald, 27 Apr. 2026
Congress can mandate independent redistricting commissions for federal districts, require transparency in the map-drawing process and establish clear, neutral criteria such as compactness, continuity and respect for communities of interest.
—Baltimore Sun, Twin Cities, 26 Apr. 2026
It's scheduled to hear arguments in May on claims the new districts violate compactness requirements and should be placed on hold pending the potential referendum.
—ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026
It’s scheduled to hear arguments in May on claims the new districts violate compactness requirements and should be placed on hold pending the potential referendum.
—David A. Lieb, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
Maps would prioritize population equality, compactness, contiguity, and communities of interest, with no favoritism toward incumbents.
—Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
In addition to their defensive compactness — which forces opponents into low-quality shots — flexibility and impressive individual performances, Sunderland’s wide combinations are a major reason for their success this season.
—Ahmed Walid, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Attribute this to the show’s wonderful compactness, or to tired feet, but the behavior was unusual—people swooping toward a painting, sitting down again, returning a minute later to develop a thought or a feeling.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
Today’s open-source tool kits can generate millions of legally compliant plans and optimize for different fairness goals (compactness, competitiveness, minority opportunity, county splits, partisan bias).
—Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
Romy Ellenbogen, Miami Herald, 27 Apr. 2026
Congress can mandate independent redistricting commissions for federal districts, require transparency in the map-drawing process and establish clear, neutral criteria such as compactness, continuity and respect for communities of interest.
—Baltimore Sun, Twin Cities, 26 Apr. 2026
It's scheduled to hear arguments in May on claims the new districts violate compactness requirements and should be placed on hold pending the potential referendum.
—ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026
It’s scheduled to hear arguments in May on claims the new districts violate compactness requirements and should be placed on hold pending the potential referendum.
—David A. Lieb, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
Maps would prioritize population equality, compactness, contiguity, and communities of interest, with no favoritism toward incumbents.
—Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
In addition to their defensive compactness — which forces opponents into low-quality shots — flexibility and impressive individual performances, Sunderland’s wide combinations are a major reason for their success this season.
—Ahmed Walid, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Attribute this to the show’s wonderful compactness, or to tired feet, but the behavior was unusual—people swooping toward a painting, sitting down again, returning a minute later to develop a thought or a feeling.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
Today’s open-source tool kits can generate millions of legally compliant plans and optimize for different fairness goals (compactness, competitiveness, minority opportunity, county splits, partisan bias).
—Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compactness
Noun
-
This interview has been edited for clarity and concision.—
Harrison Jacobs,
ARTnews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
-
This interview was condensed and edited for concision and clarity.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.—
Mary Divine,
Twin Cities,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The conciseness, the visual satisfaction, and the crucial interplay between image and word makes reading a good graphic novel—or, in this case, graphic memoir—an electrifying, transporting experience.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
How much of his life, his desperate desire for success, greatness, had been prompted by his shortness?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The team’s mean average height is 6-foot-4 due to the notable shortness of main rotation guards Tre Jones (6-foot-1) and Rob Dillingham (6-foot-2) and two-way guards Yuki Kawamura (5-foot-7) and Mac McClung (6-foot-2).—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Compactness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compactness. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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