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
After mulling a proposal from the leaders of the men’s and women’s tennis tours to restructure the sport, the people in charge of the four Grand Slams have sent back a terse rejection that leaves the sport’s future in a state of paralysis.
—
Matthew Futterman, The Athletic, 21 Mar. 2025
This subject seems a bit terse, but that is the point.
—Jennifer Palmer, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
That prompted a terse response from Netanyahu's office.
—arkansasonline.com, 15 Mar. 2025
That prompted a terse response from Netanyahu’s office.
—Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for terse
Matthew Futterman, The Athletic, 21 Mar. 2025
This subject seems a bit terse, but that is the point.
—Jennifer Palmer, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
That prompted a terse response from Netanyahu's office.
—arkansasonline.com, 15 Mar. 2025
That prompted a terse response from Netanyahu’s office.
—Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for terse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terse
Adjective
-
The song is a concise blast of funky country-rock, with shades of the Allman Brothers, some traditional-country fiddle, and lyrics about a bottle that just won’t empty.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
4 Apr. 2025
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Applicants should therefore focus on providing concise updates that directly impact the reassessment of their application.—
Christopher Rim,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Notably, economic activity may see a brief improvement as companies and consumers move in advance of the tariffs.—
Bill Stone,
Forbes.com,
6 Apr. 2025
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The last two pictures, Trump and Harris, are displayed without biographies, though each has a brief one on the gallery’s website, theyalsoran.com.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Ukraine is investigating more than 150,000 possible war crimes committed by Russia, including the summary execution of prisoners and targeted aerial strikes against civilians.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
17 Mar. 2025
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He is accused of acting as the de facto leader of the Davao Death Squad, a group that was responsible for summary executions and the murder or disappearance of more than 1,000 people in and around the city.—
Lisandro Claudio,
The Conversation,
12 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Terse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terse. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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