[con.cise] adj [L concisus, fr. pp. of concidere to cut up, fr. com- + caedere to cut, strike] (ca. 1590) 1: marked by brevity of expression or statement: free from all elaboration and superfluous detail
2: cut short: brief -- con.cise.ly adv -- con.cise.ness n syn 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 "a concise description". terse implies pointed conciseness "a terse reply". succinct implies the greatest possible compression "a succinct letter of resignation". laconic implies brevity to the point of seeming rude, indifferent, or mysterious "an aloof and laconic stranger". summary suggests the statement of main points with no elaboration or explanation "a summary listing of the year's main events". pithy adds to succinct or terse the implication of richness of meaning or substance "a comedy sharpened by pithy one-liners". compendious applies to what is at once full in scope and brief and concise in treatment "a compendious dictionary".