terse

adjective
UK: /tɜːs/
US: /tɝːs/

  1. Brief and direct in a way that may seem rude or unfriendly.

    1. Her terse reply ended the conversation quickly after I told her the news.
    2. The CEO gave a terse statement to the press, refusing to elaborate on the matter of company problems.

  2. Using few words; concise.

    1. His terse writing style is appreciated because it gets straight to the point.
    2. The telegram was terse and to the point because of the price per word they charged.

Synonyms

concise succinct brief pithy laconic abrupt brusque summary

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "terse" in English means: Brief and direct in a way that may seem rude or unfriendly., Using few words; concise..

The phonetic transcription of "terse" is /tɜːs/ in British English and /tɝːs/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "terse": concise, succinct, brief, pithy, laconic, abrupt, brusque, summary.

Example usage of "terse": "Her terse reply ended the conversation quickly after I told her the news.". More examples on the page.