terse (tɜːs
)
Definitions
adjective
- neatly brief and concise
- curt; abrupt
Alternative Forms
ˈtersely adverb ˈterseness nounWord Origin
C17: from Latin tersus precise, from tergēre to polishSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
concise,
short,
brief,
clipped,
neat,
to the point,
crisp,
compact,
summary,
condensed,
incisive,
elliptical,
laconic,
succinct,
pithy,
monosyllabic,
gnomic,
epigrammatic,
aphoristic,
sententious,
Usage examples
He'd covered about a third of the distance to the workshop when she spoke again, in a voice clear and terse.
, THE SCHEME FOR FULL EMPLOYMENT (2003)'Meet me the first thing on Monday,' came the terse command.
Business Today (2000)Hogg called Thursday's terse release" a fair summary of the information that we have at this stage that we can legally disclose.
canada.com (2004)Faldo was heavily criticised for informing Leadbetter in a terse letter instead of telling him face-to-face.
Sun, News of the World (2000)So I was relieved when, a few minutes later, Lynette emailed back with a terse :'Fine, go ahead.
, EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON (2004)