terseness
Saying little suffices
Terseness is the quality of using few words—being brief and to the point without unnecessary elaboration.
It can be a virtue in writing and speech, suggesting efficiency and clarity: The terseness of his reply left no room for argument.
But terseness may also feel curt or cold, stripping away the warmth that extra words provide.
Abruptly rude in speech
- brusqueAbrupt and dismissive
- bluntDull or tactlessly direct
- gruffHarsh in manner
- sharpFine-edged, or astute
snappy · abrupt · tart · ungracious · short · clipped · dismissive · impatient
Expressed with minimal words
- laconicBrief in expression
- pithyConcise and forceful
- conciseBriefly and clearly stated
- compactTightly packed together
economy · compendious · synopsis · summary · epitome · conciseness · ellipsis · telegraphic
Habitually uncommunicative
- uncommunicativeUnwilling to share thoughts
- tight-lippedUnwilling to divulge
- reticentDisinclined to speak freely
- sparingUsing resources minimally
sparse · monosyllabic · unexpansive · reserved · withdrawn · guarded · close-mouthed · unforthcoming
curt
Abruptly rude in speech
sharp · snappy · abrupt · tart · ungracious · short · clipped · dismissive · impatient · pointed
succinct
Expressed with minimal words
compact · economy · compendious · synopsis · summary · epitome · conciseness · ellipsis · telegraphic · aphoristic
taciturn
Habitually uncommunicative
- uncommunicativeUnwilling to share thoughts
- tight-lippedUnwilling to divulge
- reticentDisinclined to speak freely
sparing · sparse · monosyllabic · unexpansive · reserved · withdrawn · guarded · close-mouthed · unforthcoming · silent
- brevitybrevity, concise, succinct, pithy, laconic
- Get to the Pointcut to the chase, bottom line, in a nutshell, spit it out, long story short
- rudenessrude, discourtesy, impolite, rudeness, disrespect
- unfriendlinessunfriendliness, coldness, hostility, rudeness, aloofness
- witwit, witticism, quip, cleverness, repartee
- minimalismminimalism, declutter, decluttering, simplicity, less is more
tersenessverbosity
Unnecessary word excess
wordiness · long-windedness · prolixity · verboseness · diffuseness
tersenesseffusiveness
Unrestrained emotional expression
warmth · volubility · expansiveness · chattiness · talkativeness
tersenesselaborateness
State of being ornate
expansiveness · exhaustiveness · thoroughness · discursiveness · copiousness