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
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The transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.—
Mary Divine,
Twin Cities,
15 Mar. 2026
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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
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Their flight plan for Friday also included rehearsals of basic medical procedures — including chest compressions and methods to clear airway obstructions — to help prepare future Orion crews for possible emergencies in deep space.—
William Harwood,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
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The process causes a violent compression of air molecules that can heat the spacecraft’s exterior to more than 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760 degrees Celsius).—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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African American Language also tends to have nuance in its tense structure, incorporating modifiers and unique contractions.—
Moriah Humiston,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
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However, the purely gravitational effects that work on spacetime itself, affecting its curvature, expansion, contraction, or evolution, should affect gravitational waves just as significantly as light gets affected.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shortness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortness. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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