Synonyms

in a nutshell

Idioms

Concisely, in a few words, as in Here's our proposal—in a nutshell, we want to sell the business to you. This hyperbolic expression alludes to the Roman writer Pliny's description of Homer's Iliad being copied in so tiny a hand that it could fit in a nutshell. For a time it referred to anything compressed, but from the 1500s on it referred mainly to written or spoken words.

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 idea, in a nutshell, is to switch on the immune system and starve the cancer at the same time.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026

The summit "in a nutshell, will be an opportunity to emphasise that Europe's security is a 360-degree challenge", said a senior EU official.

From Barron's • May 4, 2026

So in a nutshell it’s a very affordable rent.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 29, 2026

"My life is basically Brentford, in a nutshell," she said.

From BBC • Nov. 14, 2025

This is, in a nutshell, what word of mouth is.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

in a nutshell

Example Sentences

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