terseness

/'tə:snis/

Thân thiện

The author's terseness made the report clear and direct.

Definition

Noun: 1. The quality of being brief and to the point in speech or writing: Terseness is a style of expression that uses few words to convey meaning effectively, often implying efficiency and a lack of unnecessary detail. It can be seen as a positive quality (conciseness) or a negative one (abruptness), depending on context. 2. A neatly short and concise expressive style: This refers to the deliberate and skillful use of language to achieve maximum clarity and impact with minimal words.

Usage

Terseness is used to describe a manner of communication. It is often applied to written text (e.g., reports, instructions, literature) or spoken language (e.g., commands, answers). The connotation can be neutral, positive, or slightly negative. * Neutral/Positive: When focusing on efficiency and precision. * Slightly Negative: When implying a lack of warmth, detail, or courtesy.

Examples

• The terseness of the official statement left many questions unanswered.
• He is known for the terseness of his emails, which some colleagues find brusque.
• The poet's terseness gives his work a powerful, concentrated quality.
• I appreciate the terseness of the user manual; it gets straight to the point.

Advanced Usage

• "Brevity is the soul of wit": This famous Shakespearean phrase is closely related to the concept of terseness, praising concise and clever expression.
• Terseness in different genres: In technical writing or headlines, terseness is a virtue. In diplomatic language or personal communication, excessive terseness can be perceived as rude.

Variants and Related Words

• Terse (adj.): The adjective form.
  • Example: She gave a terse reply.
• Tersely (adv.): The adverb form.
  • Example: He answered tersely.

Synonyms

• Conciseness: (Positive) The quality of expressing much in few words.
• Brevity: (Neutral) Shortness of duration or expression.
• Succinctness: (Positive) The quality of being expressed clearly and in few words.
• Laconicism: (Often stylistic) The use of very few words, sometimes to the point of being mysterious or abrupt.
• Pithiness: (Positive) The quality of being concise and forcefully expressive.

Antonyms

• Verbosity: The quality of using more words than needed.
• Prolixity: The use of too many words; tediously lengthy.
• Wordiness: The state of using an excessive number of words.
• Long-windedness: The tendency to speak or write at great, often tedious, length.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a neatly short and concise expressive style