concise

American  

[kuhn-sahys] / kənˈsaɪs /

adjective

1. expressing or covering much in few words; brief in form but comprehensive in scope; succinct; terse.

   a concise explanation of the company's retirement plan.

   Synonyms:

   laconic, compendious, pithy

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concise British  

/ kənˈsaɪs /

adjective

1. expressing much in few words; brief and to the point

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Related Words

Concise, succinct, terse all refer to speech or writing that uses few words to say much. Concise usually implies that unnecessary details or verbiage have been eliminated from a more wordy statement: a concise summary of the speech. Succinct, on the other hand, implies that the message is as originally composed and is expressed in as few words as possible: a succinct statement of the problem. Terse sometimes suggests brevity combined with wit or polish to produce particularly effective expression: a terse, almost aphoristic, style. It may also suggest brusqueness or curtness: a terse reply that was almost rude.

Other Word Forms

• concisely adverb
• conciseness noun

Etymology

Origin of concise

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin concīsus “cut short” (past participle of concīdere ), equivalent to con- con- + -cīd- (combining form of caedere “to cut”) + -tus past participle ending

Explanation

If something is concise, it's short and gets right to the point. A concise edition of your diary might be 50 pages of the most important entries. Concise comes from the Latin word concidere, which means "to cut down." When we use concise, we're talking about words that have been cut down. There are no concise trees, but there are concise works of political philosophy. A concise Italian-English dictionary, is shorter than an unabridged one. If you're good at quick explanations, you have a concise manner. A good synonym is succinct.

Example Sentences

"It's about making sure your content is very clear and concise and easy to understand," he says.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

More recently, he has been pushing a concise campaign message — “Back to Basics” — and launched a nonprofit policy organization by the same name to promote his ideas statewide.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 29, 2026

“A Christmas Carol” is a perfectly concise tale all about how the holiday spirit can change not just our minds, but our hearts, too.

From Salon • Dec. 24, 2025

But a more concise assessment occurs earlier: “Controversy was her oxygen.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025

Each got a quick, concise lecture from Francis, during the second of which I wandered down to see if the shop could be speeded up to produce the purines and pyrimidines later that afternoon.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson

Related Words

• pithy
• succinct
• terse