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Showing results for telegraphic. Search instead for tele-graphic.

telegraphic

American  
[tel-i-graf-ik] / ˌtɛl ɪˈgræf ɪk /

adjective

  1. of or relating to the telegraph.

  2. concise, clipped, or elliptical in style.

    telegraphic speech.


telegraphic British  
/ ˌtɛlɪˈɡræfɪk /

adjective

  1. used in or transmitted by telegraphy

  2. of or relating to a telegraph

  3. having a concise style; clipped

    telegraphic speech

"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 telegraphic

First recorded in 1785–95; telegraph + -ic

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.

In his paperwork, he described a system for transmitting telegraphic signals to and from moving trains by means of electromagnetic induction—messages sent through the air, without physical contact.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

Yeah, Winslow is a guy who writes hard-boiled crime fiction full of leggy, tough-talking dolls and guys with $70,000 watches and short, telegraphic sentences.

From Salon • Apr. 6, 2024

As a grad student, Blackburn began trying her hand at this telegraphic style of storytelling.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2024

It could also communicate with other instruments using telegraphic signals.

From Scientific American • Aug. 16, 2023

So if we look carefully at the text of the Little Commentary we find, in telegraphic form, what will become the argument of On the Revolutions.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

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