SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
terseness
noun
Brevity of expression, sometimes to the point of abruptness.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Brevity of expression
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topTerseness concerns few words and can imply abruptness. Brevity and concision are more neutral about courtesy or warmth.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See terseness in use
The terseness of the reply left its tone open to interpretation.
When her housemates offered to help move a heavy desk, Elise began to evince relief by relaxing her shoulders and smiling. Earlier, she had been inarticulate about the problem, struggling to explain why the room arrangement bothered her. The terseness of her message, 'Desk needs moving,' had sounded abrupt without communicating the difficulty.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license