Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective compendious contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of compendious are concise, laconic, pithy, succinct, summary, and terse. While all these words mean "very brief in statement or expression," compendious applies to what is at once full in scope and brief and concise in treatment.

a compendious dictionary

In what contexts can concise take the place of compendious?

The words concise and compendious are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, concise suggests the removal of all that is superfluous or elaborative.

a concise description

When might laconic be a better fit than compendious?

The synonyms laconic and compendious are sometimes interchangeable, but laconic implies brevity to the point of seeming rude, indifferent, or mysterious.

an aloof and laconic stranger

How does the word pithy relate to other synonyms for compendious?

Pithy adds to succinct or terse the implication of richness of meaning or substance.

a comedy sharpened by pithy one-liners

When is succinct a more appropriate choice than compendious?

In some situations, the words succinct and compendious are roughly equivalent. However, succinct implies the greatest possible compression.

a succinct letter of resignation

When can summary be used instead of compendious?

The meanings of summary and compendious largely overlap; however, summary suggests the statement of main points with no elaboration or explanation.

a summary listing of the year's main events

When is it sensible to use terse instead of compendious?

Although the words terse and compendious have much in common, terse implies pointed conciseness.

a terse reply

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of compendious In The Great Miscalculation: The Race to Save New York City’s Citicorp Tower (New York University Press, $27.95), Michael M. Greenburg goes into compendious detail about the debacle. Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 29 Apr. 2025 The curious thing about this compendious, scrupulously researched biography, so rich in basketball and cultural lore, is that the best parts are not about basketball at all. Thomas Beller, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2023 Although employment has begun to recover, the need to create jobs has prompted several Indian states to suspend many of the country’s compendious labour regulations. The Economist, 27 June 2020 Nonetheless, astronomers and astrophysicists came together to write a single compendious paper about the event. Adrian Cho, Science | AAAS, 16 Oct. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compendious
Adjective
  • Access to comprehensive care and standardized pathways for evaluating severe headaches can mean the difference between life and death.
    The New Yorker, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
  • The size of the task of compiling a comprehensive dictionary…has now grown far beyond what a single individual could hope to achieve in a lifetime.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Springsteen obliged, with a statement that was at once concise and powerful.
    Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Bednar’s response was concise, but hard to argue with.
    Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Footwear News’ global network of editors has carefully curated all product selections featured using our expansive brand knowledge and thorough research to find quality, long-lasting items.
    Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 1 Oct. 2025
  • This study, which was published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine, was the most thorough deep dive into the biology of supercentenarians (people over 110 years), according to Esteller.
    Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Even brief closures have cost the economy billions of dollars.
    Nik Popli, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
  • The Chinese navy already makes port calls in Myanmar, but these are brief stays in facilities too primitive to provide naval advantage.
    Dan Swift, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • During the last full government shutdown in 2013, about 850,000 federal employees were furloughed, meaning they were required to take unpaid leave, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
    Kevin Breuninger,Sam Meredith, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress are locked in a standoff over a short-term funding bill that would reopen the government and allow time for full bipartisan negotiations on appropriations.
    Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Such rights obviously do not include summary execution at sea.
    Mary Ellen O'Connell, The Conversation, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Not surprisingly, given the risk of summary execution, many had initial doubts.
    Yossi Melman, ProPublica, 7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • That game, a 6-0 win over Peru, was later the subject of an extensive investigation published by the Sunday Times that suggested the game had been fixed.
    Michael Cox, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
  • Other horror streaming services offer a more extensive selection of films for fans of scary movies.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Here, panoramic mountain and valley views are plentiful.
    Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 4 Oct. 2025
  • L'Auberge debuted 70 new rooms known as The Cliffs, which overlook Oak Creek Canyon and feature panoramic views of Sedona's red rock buttes.
    Michael Salerno, AZCentral.com, 29 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Compendious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compendious. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.

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