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laconic
adjective
Did you know?
We’ll keep it brief. Laconia was an ancient country in southern Greece. Its capital city was Sparta, and the Spartans were famous for their terseness of speech. Laconic comes to us by way of Latin from Greek Lakōnikos, meaning “native of Laconia.” In current use, laconic means “terse” or “concise to the point of seeming rude or mysterious,” and thus recalls the Spartans’ taciturnity.
Synonyms
concise, terse, succinct, laconic, summary, pithy, compendious mean very brief in statement or expression.
concise suggests the removal of all that is superfluous or elaborative.
terse implies pointed conciseness.
succinct implies the greatest possible compression.
laconic implies brevity to the point of seeming rude, indifferent, or mysterious.
summary suggests the statement of main points with no elaboration or explanation.
compendious applies to what is at once full in scope and brief and concise in treatment.
Examples of laconic in a Sentence
Word History
Latin laconicus Spartan, from Greek lakōnikos; from the Spartan reputation for terseness of speech
1589, in the meaning defined above
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Cite this Entry
“Laconic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laconic. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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