terse

[ turs ]
See synonyms for: terseterseness on Thesaurus.com

adjective,ters·er, ters·est.
  1. neatly or effectively concise; brief and pithy, as language.

  2. abruptly concise; curt; brusque.

Origin of terse

1
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin tersus, past participle of tergēre “to rub off, wipe off, clean, polish”

synonym study For terse

1, 2. See concise.

Other words for terse

Other words from terse

  • terse·ly, adverb
  • terse·ness, noun
  • un·terse, adjective
  • un·terse·ness, noun

Words Nearby terse

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How to use terse in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for terse

terse

/ (tɜːs) /


adjective
  1. neatly brief and concise

  2. curt; abrupt

Origin of terse

1
C17: from Latin tersus precise, from tergēre to polish

Derived forms of terse

  • tersely, adverb
  • terseness, noun

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