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
- aphoristic
- apothegmatic
- brief
- capsule
- compact
- compendious
- concise
- crisp
- curt
- elliptical
- elliptic
- epigrammatic
- monosyllabic
- pithy
- sententious
- succinct
- summary
- telegraphic
- terse
- thumbnail
Example Sentences
Maureen Dowd, New York Times, 10 Oct. 1996 The closest anyone comes to announcing his destination is a laconic "Guess I'll head on in." Richard Rhodes, The Inland Ground, 1991 … towards the father—laconic, authoritarian, remote, an immigrant who'd trained in Galicia to be a rabbi but worked in America in a hat factory—their feelings were more confused. Philip Roth, Granta 24, Summer 1988 He had a reputation for being laconic. the sportscaster's color commentary tends to be laconic but very much to the point Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2022 Tall, laconic, with a penetrating gaze, the man had presence. oregonlive, 8 July 2022 The laconic charmer went from sitcom sweetness to blockbuster glory with his low-key sense of humor intact. Darren Franich, EW.com, 1 July 2022 Pulled between the sharp Dove and laconic Gilbert, Emmy’s is struggling to find her own voice. Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 June 2022 Tall and blond, with a square jaw and charmingly laconic screen persona, Mr. Hurt was suddenly in great demand. Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2022 But the magic of Richard Linklater, the laconic Texan who gave us modern classics like Before Sunrise and Dazed and Confused, is something else. Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2022 ElliQ might suggest jokes to someone who laughs a lot, or keep quieter around a laconic sort. Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2022 Known as Laddie, the shy and laconic Ladd was known as one of Hollywood’s most likable and respected movie executives and producers. Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
Latin laconicus Spartan, from Greek lakōnikos; from the Spartan reputation for terseness of speech
1589, in the meaning defined above
laconic
adjective
Synonyms & Similar Words
- concise
- brief
- summary
- terse
- curt
- epigrammatic
- succinct
- monosyllabic
- pithy
- aphoristic
- sententious
- blunt
- telegraphic
- short
- compendious
- brusque
- crisp
- compact
- condensed
- abrupt
- capsule
- elliptical
- apothegmatic
- elliptic
- shortened
- thumbnail
- abbreviated
- brusk
- meaningful
- snippy
- abridged
- curtailed
- meaty
- substantial
- snippety
- well-turned
- significant
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- prolix
- verbose
- wordy
- circumlocutory
- circuitous
- rambling
- redundant
- repetitious
- tautological
- diffuse
- pleonastic
- tautologous
- long-winded
- windy
- exaggerated
- enlarged
- supplemented
- inflated
- expanded
- embroidered
- embellished
Synonyms & Similar Words
- silent
- reserved
- taciturn
- restrained
- dumb
- closemouthed
- tight-lipped
- uncommunicative
- reticent
- aloof
- introverted
- diffident
- indrawn
- inhibited
- sheepish
- staid
- bashful
- coy
- sedate
- self-effacing
- backward
- modest
- demure
- retiring
- sober
- self-contained
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- loquacious
- talkative
- conversational
- garrulous
- communicative
- chatty
- vocal
- outspoken
- talky
- mouthy
- unreserved
- gabby
- motormouthed
- gossipy
- prolix
- verbose
- wordy
- blabby
- free-spoken
- rambling
- gregarious
- outgoing
- diffuse
- windy
- extroverted
- sociable
- long-winded
- extraverted
- talebearing
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of laconic are compendious, concise, pithy, succinct, summary, and terse. While all these words mean "very brief in statement or expression," laconic implies brevity to the point of seeming rude, indifferent, or mysterious.
Although the words compendious and laconic have much in common, compendious applies to what is at once full in scope and brief and concise in treatment.
The words concise and laconic are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, concise suggests the removal of all that is superfluous or elaborative.
Pithy adds to succinct or terse the implication of richness of meaning or substance.
The synonyms succinct and laconic are sometimes interchangeable, but succinct implies the greatest possible compression.
The meanings of summary and laconic largely overlap; however, summary suggests the statement of main points with no elaboration or explanation.
While in some cases nearly identical to laconic, terse implies pointed conciseness.