succinct
Americanadjective
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characterized by conciseness or verbal brevity.
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compressed into a small area, scope, or compass.
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Archaic.
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drawn up, as by a girdle.
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encircled, as by a girdle.
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adjective
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marked by brevity and clarity; concise
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compressed into a small area
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archaic
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encircled by or as if by a girdle
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drawn up tightly; closely fitting
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Synonym Usage
See concise.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of succinct
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin succinctus, past participle of succingere “to gird, gather up (one's clothes), prepare for action,” equivalent to suc- “under, beneath” ( see suc-) + cing(ere) “to gird, equip” + -tus past participle suffix
Explanation
Something that is succinct is short and clear. If you're going to be interviewed on television about your new book and only have a five minute slot, you'll need to come up with a succinct version of your story. Succinct, meaning "short and to the point," is from the Latin succingere, "to tuck up." Often after you write a long essay, you realize you probably could have said the same thing in one or two succinct pages. If something is too succinct, we might call it terse. Another synonym is concise, which implies that unnecessary material has been removed. It's the opposite of wordy.
Vocabulary lists containing succinct
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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List 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The sentiment struck me as both suspiciously sensible and succinct enough to survive its surroundings, so I Googled it.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026
Chief Justice John Roberts’ majority opinion was succinct and direct.
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2026
"Just don't mess up," he said, in a succinct piece of management advice.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
I would add to that, in view of the memorandum of understanding about a peace deal with Iran, a more succinct replacement for the most terrifying words: “This time it will be different.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Schopenhauer’s theories, like Wagner’s operas, could not be described as succinct, and they are consequently hard to summarise briefly, but the idea that caught Wagner’s imagination was that we humans are essentially irrational, emotional animals.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
