pithy

[ pith-ee ]

adjective

, pith·i·er, pith·i·est.

1. brief, forceful, and meaningful in expression; full of vigor, substance, or meaning; terse; forcible:

   a pithy observation.

   Synonyms: concise, meaty, pointed, succinct

2. of, like, or abounding in pith.

pithy

/ ˈpɪθɪ /

adjective

1. terse and full of meaning or substance
2. of, resembling, or full of pith

Derived Forms

• ˈpithiness, noun
• ˈpithily, adverb

Other Words From

• pithi·ly adverb
• pithi·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of pithy¹

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; pith, -y ¹

Example Sentences

He has also made a number of pithy and sometimes contradictory statements about how he believes the site should moderate content—among them, that Twitter should and will remove only speech that is illegal.

From MIT Technology Review

His are usually pithy and want to embarrass you into giving.

From Washington Blade

Other times, she has crystallized concerns with a pithy tweet.

From MIT Technology Review

From shrinking willies to volcanic eruptions, disappearing hazelnut coffees to pithy brews, we celebrate Earth Day by reflecting on the all-too-human costs of climate change.

From Ozy

I was constantly pulling out pithy facts about how we’re not implementing solutions on the necessary scale.

From Outside Online

I had the pleasure of hearing one—a short, pithy gem called “The Italian System”—at a reading in Trastevere last month.

From The Daily Beast

Each work is a pithy marvel that captures the languorous excitement (and sometimes the radiant gloom) of a summer day to remember.

From The Daily Beast

Mandery knows when to be pithy and when to go long, like in passages about the subtleties of memoranda.

From The Daily Beast

She was always alert to what was going on, and her comments were pithy and to the point.

From The Daily Beast

He defines Dynamic Inaction with one pithy aphorism: “When in doubt, mumble; when in trouble, delegate; when in charge, ponder.”

From The Daily Beast

The wicked man's epitaph, as a rule, may be generally appropriately written in the pithy words "He was, and is not."

From Project Gutenberg

He is in speech eloquent and pithy; but which is chiefest, he is in religion, as religious in life as he is sincere in profession.

From Project Gutenberg

The familiar voice that gave utterance to this pithy affirmation proceeded from the doorway leading into the reception hall.

From Project Gutenberg

As pithy an inscription appears on the bell of S. Ives, which is rung early in the morning.

From Project Gutenberg

Aphorism, af′or-izm, n. a concise statement of a principle in any science: a brief, pithy saying: an adage.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• cogent
• concise
• laconic
• succinct
• terse
• trenchant