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

Example Sentences

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

From The Wall Street Journal

“GNX,” one of the rapper’s punchiest, most concise releases, is his fifth to get a nod for album of the year—though he has never taken home the trophy.

From The Wall Street Journal

To overcome this bottleneck, researchers launched Ocean Species Discoveries, a data-rich publication platform designed for concise, high-quality marine invertebrate species descriptions.

From Science Daily

But while those groups seemed to want to soundtrack trippy shows in a planetarium, Tortoise typically favors concise, punchy tracks built around defined hooks.

From The Wall Street Journal

His book reveals the amazing transformation of a young man into a fully formed writer, endowed with a concise yet suggestive style.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• pithy
• succinct
• terse