terse

/tɜːrs/

brief and to the point

The professor gave a terse explanation of the complex theory.

The professor explained the theory in a concise and direct manner.

formalinformal

Using few words; concise and to the point

She sent a terse reply to his long email.

She responded with a short and direct message.

The instructions were terse, leaving little room for interpretation.

The directions were brief and left no ambiguity.

Often used to describe writing or speech that is clear but lacks detail.

Collocations

terse replya short and direct responseterse instructionsbrief and clear directions

Use terse language in professional or technical contexts, but avoid it in casual or sensitive conversations to prevent misunderstandings.

From Latin 'tersus', meaning 'polished' or 'clean', from 'tergere' meaning 'to wipe' or 'to clean'.

Terse communication is often seen as efficient but can come across as abrupt or impolite if overused.

terse

polished or clean

root

English Dictionary