Concise definitions and example sentences on Wordnik

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Definitions (5)

American Heritage Dictionary (1)

adjective Expressing much in few words; clear and succinct.

Century Dictionary (2)

Comprehending much in few words; brief and comprehensive in statement: as, a concise account of an event; a concise argument. The concise style, which expresseth not enough, but leaves somewhat to be understood. B. Jonson, Discoveries. His [Thucydides's] history is sometimes as concise as a chronological chart: yet it is always perspicuous. Macaulay, History.
Synonyms Concise, Succinct, Condensed, Laconic, Summary, Compendious, short, terse, pithy, sententious, compact. The first four imply fullness of meaning as well as great brevity; the next two that the subject is treated by exhibiting only its main heads, and that therefore the treatment is comparatively brief. Concise frequently refers to style, and signifies the expression of much in few words; succinct is generally applied to the matter, the less important things being omitted: thus, a concise style or phrase, but a succinct narrative or account. Condensed relates more to the mode of treatment by which a matter is brought or compressed into a smaller space than it might have occupied. Laconic is applied to expressions which carry conciseness or brevity to an extreme. A summary account gives the principal points in the case; a compendious account is more sure than a summary account to give a complete and sufficient view of the subject. His [Lord Mahon's] narration is very perspicuous, and is also entitled to the praise, seldom, we grieve to say, deserved by modern critics, of being very concise. Macaulay, Lord Mahon's War in Spain. A tale should be judicious, clear, succinct; The language plain, and incidents well link'd. Cowper, Conversation, l. 235. A work of genius is … condensed knowledge, judgment, skill, that make up the man. Woolsey, Relig. of Present and Future. “His time has come,” said the laconic scout, thrusting the long barrel of his rifle through the leaves, and taking his deliberate and fatal aim. J. F. Cooper, Last of Mohicans, xxxi. I shall take leave of this island with a summary account of their [the winds'] force and direction, as observed by us from the 1st to the 8th of November. Cook, Voyages, III. vi. 8. For God is love—compendious whole Of all the blessings of a soul. Byron, Love of God.

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These messages should be formatted to be easy to read, concise, and written to suit the technical acumen of their potential audience. — The Security Catalyst
"This introduction is just what a growing multidisciplinary audience needs: it is concise, authoritative, up to date, and clear on the important conceptual issues." — CiteULike: Everyone's library
Twitter forces one to be concise, and you'd think that might be a problem for someone like Prem, who is famous for his detailed cricket reports, running on to many thousands of words. — The India Uncut Blog
It truly presents you with a different way of doing radio ... terse, concise, and fast. — eHam.net News
With a staggering assortment of primary sources, Slade produces 281 pages that are clear, concise, and unite product histories that previously seemed, to me anyway, separate. vRead my full review The Low Countries: Arts and Society in Flanders and the Netherlands, No. 13 — Isak

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succinct · lucid · comprehensive · exhaustive · coherent · authoritative · pithy · straightforward · readable · truthful · forcible · explicit

Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (2)

American Heritage Dictionary (1)

Latin concīsus, past participle of concīdere, to cut up : com-, intensive pref.; see com- + caedere, to cut; see kaə-id- in Indo-European roots.

Century Dictionary (1)

= F. Provencal concis = Spanish Portuguese Italian conciso, from Latin concisus, cut off, brief, past participle of concidere, cut off, cut short, from com- + cœdere, cut. Cf., for the form, excise, incise, precise; and for the sense, precise.

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