Synonyms of laconic

laconic

adjective

lə-ˈkä-nik 

1

as in concise

marked by the use of few words to convey much information or meaning

the sportscaster's color commentary tends to be laconic but very much to the point

Synonyms & Similar Words

• concise
• brief
• summary
• terse
• succinct
• epigrammatic
• monosyllabic
• curt
• pithy
• aphoristic
• elliptic
• telegraphic
• blunt
• sententious
• short
• compendious
• crisp
• compact
• brusque
• elliptical
• abrupt
• condensed
• capsule
• apothegmatic
• thumbnail
• abbreviated
• shortened
• meaningful
• brusk
• snippy
• curtailed
• abridged
• substantial
• meaty
• snippety
• significant
• well-turned

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• prolix
• verbose
• wordy
• circuitous
• redundant
• rambling
• diffuse
• repetitious
• windy
• tautological
• long-winded
• circumlocutory
• enlarged
• exaggerated
• pleonastic
• tautologous
• supplemented
• expanded
• inflated
• embroidered
• embellished

2

as in silent

tending not to speak frequently (as by habit or inclination)

laconic by nature, he sat back and enjoyed hearing stories from the more loquacious dinner guests

Synonyms & Similar Words

• silent
• dumb
• reserved
• restrained
• taciturn
• reticent
• uncommunicative
• tight-lipped
• closemouthed
• aloof
• introverted
• inhibited
• staid
• diffident
• sedate
• sheepish
• bashful
• coy
• modest
• indrawn
• backward
• retiring
• sober
• self-effacing
• demure
• self-contained

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• talkative
• loquacious
• communicative
• conversational
• garrulous
• vocal
• chatty
• outspoken
• talky
• mouthy
• unreserved
• gossipy
• motormouthed
• gabby
• prolix
• verbose
• blabby
• wordy
• free-spoken
• outgoing
• rambling
• diffuse
• gregarious
• windy
• sociable
• extroverted
• long-winded
• extraverted
• talebearing

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective laconic contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of laconic are compendious, concise, pithy, succinct, summary, and terse. While all these words mean "very brief in statement or expression," laconic implies brevity to the point of seeming rude, indifferent, or mysterious.

an aloof and laconic stranger

Where would compendious be a reasonable alternative to laconic?

Although the words compendious and laconic have much in common, compendious applies to what is at once full in scope and brief and concise in treatment.

a compendious dictionary

When is concise a more appropriate choice than laconic?

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

a concise description

How is pithy related to other words for laconic?

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

a comedy sharpened by pithy one-liners

When might succinct be a better fit than laconic?

The synonyms succinct and laconic are sometimes interchangeable, but succinct implies the greatest possible compression.

a succinct letter of resignation

When can summary be used instead of laconic?

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

a summary listing of the year's main events

In what contexts can terse take the place of laconic?

While in some cases nearly identical to laconic, terse implies pointed conciseness.

a terse reply

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of laconic

More seriously, Baffert noted that he’d been pleasantly surprised by the increasing maturity Rodriguez had exhibited in training recently, which, in Baffert-parlance, is the trademark laconic New-Mexico-cowboy sort of praise that handicappers would do well to take seriously on Saturday. —Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025

His laconic, weary speech contrasts with the more expansive, and at times mannered, language of the voice on the tapes. —Houman Barekat, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025

His ability to be believable as both a laconic grump and a hysterically shrieking interrogator helps add some emotional grounding to Havoc, which otherwise indulges in Evans’s more-is-more-is-more ideology. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025

The receding glacier left sandy soil along a laconic Kankakee River. —Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025

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