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concision

American  
[kuhn-sizh-uhn] / kənˈsɪʒ ən /

noun

  1. concise quality; brevity; terseness.

  2. Archaic. a cutting up or off; mutilation.


concision British  
/ kənˈsɪʒən /

noun

  1. the quality of being concise; brevity; terseness

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of concision

1350–1400; Middle English (< Middle French ) < Latin concīsiōn- (stem of concīsiō ), equivalent to concīs ( us ) concise + -iōn- -ion


Explanation

The noun concision means briefness or brevity. If it's taken you only two minutes to describe all nine seasons of your favorite TV show, you've done it with concision. In the 1500s, concision meant "a cutting away" or "a mutilation," from the Latin concidere, "to cut off or cut to pieces." For some wordy writers, an editor's emphasis on concision (cutting out extra words) might feel as violent as that, but really it's simply a matter of becoming more concise, or short and to the point.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing concision

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.

See Examples For:

Mr. Simms is a writer of piercing insight and concision.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

His exuberant acting benefits from the severity of Beckett’s concision.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2025

This interview, based on that event, has been edited for clarity and concision.

From Salon ● Apr. 22, 2024

These conversations have been edited for clarity and concision.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 26, 2023

Both these are, of course, used only in those forms of expression in which be is proper; as, "Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision."

From The Grammar of English Grammars by Goold Brown

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