epigram
Pointed verbal gem
An epigram is a short, witty statement that makes a pointed observation, often with a twist: Oscar Wilde was a master of the epigram.
The form prizes compression and cleverness—a memorable phrase that captures something true or paradoxical.
In poetry, an epigram is a brief poem with a similar punch: sharp, polished, ending with a sting.
Brief moral principle
- proverbTraditional saying expressing truth
- adageTraditional pithy truth
- sayingShort, wise expression
- dictumAuthoritative formal statement
apothegm · axiom · motto · precept · gnome · byword · saw · truism
Of or relating to war
- Dorothy ParkerRazor-tongued New Yorker
- Alexander PopeGeorgian era versifier
- coupletTwo successive verse lines
- inscriptionText permanently marked
Oscar Wilde · epitaph · verse · anthology · compilation · collection · Latin · classical
Meaning opposite to words
- sarcasmIrony used to mock
- mockeryScornful ridicule or travesty
- lampoonHarsh public mockery
- ridiculeContemptuous mocking treatment
sardonic · barb · sting · caustic · biting · acerbic · pointed · cutting
Clever, amusing remark
- quipBrief, clever remark
- bon motClever, memorable remark
- reparteeQuick, clever conversation
- wordplayVerbal wit techniques
cleverness · pun · double entendre · turn of phrase · sharpness · drollery · raillery · slyness
Briefly and clearly stated
- pithyConcise and forceful
- succinctExpressed with minimal words
- terseBrief to bluntness
- laconicBrief in expression
compact · economical · crisp · snappy · pointed · condensed · compressed · distilled
Good judgment from experience
- observationAttentive watching or remark
- truthAccordance with reality
- profundityIntellectual or emotional depth
- perceptionMental interpretation of stimuli
astuteness · discernment · enlightenment · revelation · reflection · meditation · commentary · remark
maxim
Brief moral principle
dictum · apothegm · axiom · motto · precept · gnome · byword · saw · truism · moral
Martial
Of or relating to war
- Dorothy ParkerRazor-tongued New Yorker
- Alexander PopeGeorgian era versifier
- coupletTwo successive verse lines
Oscar Wilde · inscription · epitaph · verse · anthology · compilation · collection · Latin · classical · engraved
irony
Meaning opposite to words
ridicule · sardonic · barb · sting · caustic · biting · acerbic · pointed · cutting · cynicism
witticism
Clever, amusing remark
wordplay · cleverness · pun · double entendre · turn of phrase · sharpness · drollery · raillery · slyness · playfulness
concise
Briefly and clearly stated
laconic · compact · economical · crisp · snappy · pointed · condensed · compressed · distilled · elliptical
wisdom
Good judgment from experience
- observationAttentive watching or remark
- truthAccordance with reality
- profundityIntellectual or emotional depth
perception · astuteness · discernment · enlightenment · revelation · reflection · meditation · commentary · remark · cogent
- Greek epigramsLeonidas, epitaph, epitaphs, garland, lemma
- literaturebooks, book, fiction, poetry, stories
- literary formsnovel, novels, novella, poetry, poetry collections
- proverbsproverbs, sayings, maxims, adages, aphorisms
- brevitybrevity, concise, succinct, terse, pithy
- comedy termsjokes, puns, wit, sarcasm, irony