- expressing much in few words; brief and to the point
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
con•cise /kənˈsaɪs/USA pronunciation
adj.
con•cise•ness, n. [uncountable]See -cise-.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- expressing much in few words;
succinct.
con•cise•ness, n. [uncountable]See -cise-.
- concise, succinct, terse refer to speech or writing that uses few words to say much. concise implies that unnecessary details have been cut out: a concise summary of the ambassador's speech. succinct suggests clear expression as well as shortness: was praised for her succinct statement of the problem. terse suggests brevity combined with wit or polish, but it may also suggest impoliteness or brusqueness: a terse prose style; offended by his terse reply.
con•cise
(kən sīs′),USA pronunciation adj.
con•cise′ly, adv.
- expressing or covering much in few words;
brief in form but comprehensive in scope;
succinct;
terse:a concise explanation of the company's retirement plan.
- Latin concīsus cut short (past participle of concīdere), equivalent. to con- con- + -cīd- (combining form of caedere to cut) + -tus past participle ending
- 1580–90
- pithy, compendious, laconic. Concise, succinct, terse all refer to speech or writing that uses few words to say much. Concise usually implies that unnecessary details or verbiage have been eliminated from a more wordy statement:a concise summary of the speech.Succinct, on the other hand, implies that the message is as originally composed and is expressed in as few words as possible:a succinct statement of the problem.Terse sometimes suggests brevity combined with wit or polish to produce particularly effective expression:a terse, almost aphoristic, style.It may also suggest brusqueness or curtness:a terse reply that was almost rude.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
concise /kənˈsaɪs/ adj
'concise' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Akhmatova
- Apostles' Creed
- brief
- capsule
- compact
- compendium
- compendious
- concision
- creed
- crisp
- curt
- definition
- elliptical
- encapsulate
- moral
- short
- situation
- succinct
- tabloid
- telegraphic
- terse
- thumbnail
- APL
- atticism
- blunt
- brachylogy
- briefing
- capsulize
- clear
- conciseness
- economy
- elegant
- laconic
- luminous
- paralipsis
- pithy
- précis
- table
- tight
- short-winded
- sum
- summarize
- summary