concision
Saying less well
Concision is brevity achieved through cutting unnecessary words.
It differs from mere shortness—a short statement might still be wordy, while a longer one can be concise if every word earns its place.
The editor praised the essay's concision.
The word appears most often in discussions of writing and rhetoric.
Brief to bluntness
- laconicBrief in expression
- pithyConcise and forceful
- compactTightly packed together
- succinctExpressed with minimal words
curt · abridged · condensed · epigrammatic · elliptical · compendious · telegraphic · capsule
Correctness in every detail
- specificityExactness of detail
- accuracyDegree of correctness
- sharpnessKeenness of edge, mind, or image
- meticulousnessExtreme carefulness in details
refinement · exactitude · rigor · scrupulousness · punctiliousness · nicety · tightness · careful
Made smooth and efficient
- economicalUsing resources sparingly
- efficientProductive without waste
- leanLacking fat; incline
- tightFirmly stretched or fitting
disciplined · purposeful · focused · essential · minimal · no-frills · functional · utilitarian
Persuasive verbal grace
- phrasingManner of expressing something
- dictionChoice of words
- witClever, inventive humor
- epigramPithy, memorable saying
maxim · aphorism · haiku · proverb · adage · slogan · tagline · motto
Mentally sharp and comprehensible
- perspicuousClearly expressed, easily understood
- plainBasic and unremarkable
- straightforwardClear and uncomplicated
- unambiguousAllowing single interpretation only
explicit · clear-cut · intelligible · direct · transparent · unequivocal · coherent · simple
terse
Brief to bluntness
succinct · curt · abridged · condensed · epigrammatic · elliptical · compendious · telegraphic · capsule · thumbnail
exactness
Correctness in every detail
- specificityExactness of detail
- accuracyDegree of correctness
- sharpnessKeenness of edge, mind, or image
meticulousness · refinement · exactitude · rigor · scrupulousness · punctiliousness · nicety · tightness · careful · measured
streamlined
Made smooth and efficient
- economicalUsing resources sparingly
- efficientProductive without waste
- leanLacking fat; incline
tight · disciplined · purposeful · focused · essential · minimal · no-frills · functional · utilitarian · practical
eloquence
Persuasive verbal grace
epigram · maxim · aphorism · haiku · proverb · adage · slogan · tagline · motto · soundbite
lucid
Mentally sharp and comprehensible
- perspicuousClearly expressed, easily understood
- plainBasic and unremarkable
- straightforwardClear and uncomplicated
unambiguous · explicit · clear-cut · intelligible · direct · transparent · unequivocal · coherent · simple · digestible
- poetrypoem, poems, poetry, verse, verses
- minimalismminimalism, declutter, decluttering, simplicity, less is more
- prose craftstyle, diction, word choice, pacing, narration
- prose qualitiesclarity, eloquence, coherence, flow, style
- writing stylediction, tone, style, prose, prose style
- brief formsbrevity, terseness, abbreviation, acronym, shorthand
concisionverbosity
Unnecessary word excess
wordiness · long-windedness · prolixity · redundancy · diffuseness
concisionrambling
Long-winded and unfocused
meandering · discursiveness · vagueness · obscurity · convolution
decision, precise, precision, precisely, inconsistency, concise, incision, excision, preciseness