adjective
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terse and full of meaning or substance
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of, resembling, or full of pith
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pithy
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at pith, -y 1
Explanation
A pithy phrase or statement is brief but full of substance and meaning. Proverbs and sayings are pithy; newspaper columnists give pithy advice. The root of this word is pith, which refers to the spongy tissue in plant stems, or the white part under the skin of citrus fruits. Pith is also used figuratively to refer to the essential part of something: They finally got to the pith of the discussion. Pith descends from Middle English, from Old English pitha "the pith of plants." In the adjective pithy, the suffix –y means "characterized by."
Vocabulary lists containing pithy
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The Glass Castle
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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.
See Examples For:
Over lunch, Rutte offered a pithy proposal that would become his go-to strategy: Give Trump a win.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
"Just so devastatingly crap" was the pithy and rather brutal view of one Labour MP in touch with me.
From BBC ● May 12, 2026
They would funnel information and boil down data to pithy takeaways for their superiors.
From MarketWatch ● May 7, 2026
But like film, this pithy observation is often misinterpreted.
From Salon ● Jan. 24, 2026
Of course, there is such a thing as bad advice, and not every pithy nugget of wisdom is worth stitching onto a pillow.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
“The Bloodied Nightgown” shows that with age she only got funnier, pithier and more pungent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2024
This edge looks rather delicate, I think — and I first learned it as the traditional edging style for the classic pithier pastry.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2021
For now, the new initiative is called the Collaborative Fund for Women’s Safety and Dignity, although there are plans to shift to a pithier name.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 14, 2019
His graphic designers countered with “Don’t Do It” and “Stand For It” before finally settling on the even pithier “Just Stand.”
From Washington Post ● Dec. 7, 2018
Nor were there wanting on this occasion some vivid glances that were burthened, as they passed aslant, their fair faces, with pithier feelings than those that originated from a simple desire of victory.
From The Emigrants Of Ahadarra The Works of William Carleton, Volume Two by Carleton, William
Gathering together some of the anthology’s pithiest and most striking quotations, Mr. Romm’s book is an intriguing and occasionally frustrating aperitif that doesn’t fully satisfy but is nonetheless stimulating.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
The pithiest answers to my questions Monday came from Mariners reliever Paul Sewald.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 5, 2022
MacArthur had plenty of memorable quotes — “I shall return!” when he left the Philippines during World War II being the pithiest — but not that one.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 9, 2022
Section 230 versus the First Amendment One of the pithiest tech policy commentaries is a 2019 correction in The New York Times.
From The Verge ● Feb. 8, 2021
It was one of their pithiest sayings, and one of the wisest, too.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions 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.
