as in conciseness
the condition of being short
the shortness of the commencement speech was much appreciated by the impatient graduates
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Recent Examples of shortness
How much of his life, his desperate desire for success, greatness, had been prompted by his shortness?
—
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
Luzzatto said the relative shortness of that term is scaring away capital.
—Matthew Geiger, Denver Post, 19 Sep. 2025
February was deemed an appropriate time for a special observance of Black history not because of the shortness of the month, but instead to coincide with the birthdays of abolitionist Frederick Douglass and President Abraham Lincoln, who issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
—Scott Talley, Freep.com, 15 Feb. 2025
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
Luzzatto said the relative shortness of that term is scaring away capital.
—Matthew Geiger, Denver Post, 19 Sep. 2025
February was deemed an appropriate time for a special observance of Black history not because of the shortness of the month, but instead to coincide with the birthdays of abolitionist Frederick Douglass and President Abraham Lincoln, who issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
—Scott Talley, Freep.com, 15 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shortness
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
-
This compression of the purchase funnel is now the defining characteristic of modern fashion commerce, separating market leaders from those struggling to keep pace.—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
Footwear News,
15 May 2026
-
Woods, with facial hair, donned a black long sleeve and hat with sunglasses, gray shorts and black shoes, while still wearing a compression sleeve on his left leg.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
This raises the risk of a multiple contraction back toward the historical average of 21x.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
-
The optimization approach focused on creating an asymmetric motion pattern similar to natural jellyfish, where the contraction phase is faster than recovery.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shortness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortness. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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