pithy
adjective
Synonyms
- aphoristic
- apothegmatic
- brief
- capsule
- compact
- compendious
- concise
- crisp
- curt
- elliptical
- elliptic
- epigrammatic
- laconic
- monosyllabic
- sententious
- succinct
- summary
- telegraphic
- terse
- thumbnail
Example Sentences
James Fallows, Atlantic, July 2000 I read my poems in L.A., chatted up the literary set, waxed pithy and beleaguered at the book signings and wine and cheese receptions. Thomas Lynch, The Undertaking, 1997 He does not hold forth to his family or to his court of old men; he listens, … then delivers short, pithy edicts that are then followed. Guy Martin, Esquire, June 1997 Unlike a great many other science books, the pithy, lyrical text never bogs down in a mudflat of facts. Leonard S. Marcus, Parenting, December/January 1996 The critic gave the film a pithy review. The book is filled with pithy sayings about love and loss. a pithy little Mother's Day card See More Mark Yost, WSJ, 8 Sep. 2022 Gone was the traditional press release with On’s financial figures lined up above a pithy quote from its leadership team about the magnitude of the day. Eric Smith, Outside Online, 15 Sep. 2021 Water imagery in the video is interspersed with short, pithy interviews with numerous Indigenous residents, mostly Tongva and Paiute. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 22 Aug. 2022 Barnett is the scruffy, poignant and pithy Australian singer/songwriter. Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 23 July 2022 But The Gray Man is a completely anonymous viewing experience, a series of set pieces and pithy jokes that’s devoid of personality. David Sims, The Atlantic, 22 July 2022 It is densely packed with art that invites lingering and details gleaned from scientific papers that are distilled to pithy and informative tidbits. Kate Siber, Outside Online, 2 Nov. 2020 Unfortunately, its acronym SCRI isn’t pithy or memorable like SHIELD or SPECTRE. Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 July 2022 And sometimes, the rush to be pithy, timely, and provocative can lead Yglesias to shoot first and think carefully later. Joseph Thorndike, Forbes, 18 July 2022 See More Word History
see pith entry 1
1529, in the meaning defined at sense 1
pithy
adjective
Synonyms & Similar Words
- concise
- brief
- summary
- succinct
- terse
- aphoristic
- epigrammatic
- short
- sententious
- curt
- blunt
- laconic
- telegraphic
- monosyllabic
- compendious
- crisp
- compact
- thumbnail
- capsule
- condensed
- elliptical
- shortened
- apothegmatic
- brusque
- abrupt
- abbreviated
- elliptic
- meaningful
- meaty
- snippy
- abridged
- substantial
- snippety
- brusk
- curtailed
- significant
- well-turned
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- wordy
- prolix
- verbose
- rambling
- circumlocutory
- circuitous
- redundant
- repetitious
- diffuse
- tautological
- long-winded
- windy
- tautologous
- pleonastic
- enlarged
- exaggerated
- supplemented
- expanded
- inflated
- embroidered
- embellished
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of pithy are compendious, concise, laconic, succinct, summary, and terse. While all these words mean "very brief in statement or expression," pithy adds to succinct or terse the implication of richness of meaning or substance.
The words compendious and pithy can be used in similar contexts, but compendious applies to what is at once full in scope and brief and concise in treatment.
Although the words concise and pithy have much in common, concise suggests the removal of all that is superfluous or elaborative.
In some situations, the words laconic and pithy are roughly equivalent. However, laconic implies brevity to the point of seeming rude, indifferent, or mysterious.
The words succinct and pithy are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, succinct implies the greatest possible compression.
The synonyms summary and pithy are sometimes interchangeable, but summary suggests the statement of main points with no elaboration or explanation.
The meanings of terse and pithy largely overlap; however, terse implies pointed conciseness.