concision

noun

con·​ci·​sion kən-ˈsi-zhən 

1

archaic : a cutting up or off

2

: the quality or state of being concise

Synonyms

• brevity
• briefness
• compactness
• conciseness
• crispness
• pithiness
• sententiousness
• succinctness
• terseness

Example Sentences

the essay is a marvel of concision and clarity

Recent Examples on the Web

Journalism necessitates concision on a level that I’m not used to because informational language isn’t supposed to be flamboyant, flowery, frolicsome or alliterative – it’s supposed to convey information. —Terah Bennett, oregonlive, 4 Aug. 2022

Here is a celebrity entertainer who played a fictional president on television, then was himself elected president, then in a national crisis used a comedian’s knack for concision and punch to become a leader of consequence, and an international hero. —Susan J. Wolfson, The Atlantic, 18 June 2022

Crosby embraced the odd grammar of Twitter—its randomness, its concision, its immediacy—and would often engage directly with strangers who provoked or petitioned him. —Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2023

These interviews have been edited for clarity and concision. —Brendan O'meara, Longreads, 19 Dec. 2022

Yet, for all of their tightness and concision, their sound can feel all over the place, too. —Chris Richards, Washington Post, 20 Feb. 2023

Her slippery prose makes David Berlinski seem the model of precise sincere clear concision. —Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 12 July 2013

But the concision of Swift’s songcraft and the nuances of her phrasing should keep the listener tuned in. —Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2022

Whereas the Brahms concerto is a paragon of concision, Schmidt’s symphony is a study in verbosity. —Dallas News, 21 Jan. 2022

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Word History

Etymology

Middle English concisioun "slaughter, mutilation," borrowed from Latin concīsiōn-, concīsiō "dividing up (of words into clauses)" (Late Latin also, "cutting to pieces, mutilation"), from concīdere "to cut up, break up, slaughter, chop to pieces" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at concise

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1