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
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
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
-
As reasons for lowering his price forecast, Bank of America’s Post cited a lower Amazon Web Servies multiple reflecting more potential margin uncertainty and overall sector multiple compression.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Carpal tunnel is identified by the compression of the median nerve, while thoracic outlet involves the compression of the neurovascular bundle.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
That showed up in December with a contraction of Chinese e-commerce exports for the first time in years.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Personal luxury goods took the biggest hit, dropping from $435 billion in spending in 2023 to $429 billion in 2024, the category’s first contraction in 15 years, barring the pandemic.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shortness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortness. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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