Definitions

terse

[turs] / tɜrs /

ADJECTIVE

brief, short

Synonyms

STRONGEST

brusque concise cryptic curt elliptical incisive laconic pithy precise succinct trenchant

WEAK

abrupt aphoristic boiled down breviloquent clear-cut clipped close compact compendiary compendious condensed crisp cut to the bone epigrammatic exact gnomic in a nutshell lean neat pointed sententious short and sweet snappy summary taut to the point

Antonyms

STRONGEST

gentle kind lengthy long-winded nice polite verbose wordy

WEAK

prolix

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“When he arrives at Southwark House as a terse, brusque, tricky man, you’ve already experienced his level of affection with his wife and that’s really important contextually,” Haig says.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026

But Mr. Hunter’s economy of means, which extends to often terse or quiet dialogue undergirded by melancholy subtext, only enhances the tenderness and humanity of his writing.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

Flight attendants ordered an evacuation with a terse directive: Grab your passports and boarding passes, leave all luggage, get out.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

Designer Rob Janoff said that Apple cofounder Steve Jobs gave him one terse instruction when he commissioned a new logo in January 1977: "don't make it cute".

From Barron's • Mar. 29, 2026

Such terse responses to Mommy were unheard of.

From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride

Vocabulary lists containing terse

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