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
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
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 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
-
The interview was edited for clarity and conciseness.—
Karen Kucher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Researchers have become successful in generating electricity from compression using a flexible nylon-film device.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Feb. 2026
-
The high-compression fabric is sculpting without digging into skin, and the generous waistband keeps everything in place during particularly bendy yoga classes.—
Sophie Dodd,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Your Heart Health May Be Supported Magnesium plays a key role in how electrical signals move through the heart and in the contraction of the heart muscle.—
MD Published,
Verywell Health,
19 Feb. 2026
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But after years of contraction, shrinking pre-sales and skittish buyers, there was a sense at EFM, a cautious, qualified sense, that the worst may be over.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shortness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortness. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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