as in concise
marked by the use of few words to convey much information or meaning
could tell from his terse replies to my questions that he was in no mood to talk
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Recent Examples of terse
The director wrenches apart Ibsen’s terse and precise mechanism and makes room for a proliferation of arresting moments—caught on the wing in wide-screen images, thanks to Sean Bobbitt’s cinematography—that balance tragedy and horror with excitement and wonder.
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Richard Brody, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2025
This pays off to some extent because Day-Lewis is such a mesmerizing presence, Ray’s gruff manner and terse communications hinting at dark mysteries to be revealed.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 Sep. 2025
In a terse statement confirming only the broad outlines of the incident, the Pentagon equated Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government to a narco-trafficking cartel, allegations Caracas denies.
—Phil Stewart, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
Throughout his 24-year tenure with the New England Patriots, Belichick became synonymous with brief, terse answers in press conferences and refusing to give reporters detailed information.
—Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for terse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terse
Adjective
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The company is also upgrading a proofreading option for checking grammar and making messages more concise.—
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Just across the street, Miya is a quirky, two-room Thai charmer with a relatively concise menu of curries, noodles, soups, salads and vegetables.—
Adjective
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After a brief interlude outside for community members to reconnect, the pews filled up again.—
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The trailer shows Damon as Odysseus and brief glimpses at his life during the Trojan War (including the iconic Trojan Horse) and his years-long journey back to his homeland.—
Adjective
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Such rights obviously do not include summary execution at sea.—
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Not surprisingly, given the risk of summary execution, many had initial doubts.—
Cite this Entry
“Terse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terse. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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