brevity
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Related to brevity: levity
brev·i·ty
(brĕv′ĭ-tē)n.
1. The quality or state of being brief in duration.
2. Concise expression; terseness.
[Latin brevitās, from brevis, short; see brief.]
brevity
(ˈbrɛvɪtɪ)n, pl -ties
1. conciseness of expression; lack of verbosity
2. a short duration; brief time
[C16: from Latin brevitās shortness, from brevis brief]
brev•i•ty
(ˈbrɛv ɪ ti)n.
1. shortness of time or duration; briefness.
2. the quality of expressing much in few words.
syn: brevity, conciseness refer to the use of few words in speaking. brevity emphasizes the short duration of speech: reduced to extreme brevity. conciseness emphasizes compactness of expression: clear in spite of great conciseness.
Brevity
the practice of conciseness in speech or writing.
1. the practice of using few words to say much.
2. a laconic utterance. — laconic, n., adj. — laconical, adj.
2. a laconic utterance. — laconic, n., adj. — laconical, adj.
Rare. the speaking of few words; taciturnity or brevity. — pauciloquent, adj.
Rare. brevity; conciseness.
the brief, sometimes cryptic language used in telegrams.
Brevity
See Also: TIME
- As compact as a drop of pure water —Richard E. Shepard, New York Times, November 3, 1986
The simile attempts to explain the mystery of the Flamenco Puro dance troop’s creative wellsprings.
- Brief as a classified ad —Anon
- Brief as a drop of dew —Cale Young Rice
- Brief as a grouch’s smile —Anon
- Brief as a sinner’s prayer —Anon
- Brief as a twinge —Margaret Atwood
- Brief as the Z column in a pocket dictionary —Irvin S. Cobb
Or, to be even more specific, “Brief as the Z column in this dictionary.”
- Brief as youth in retrospect —Elyse Sommer
- (Smiled) briefly, on and off like a light switch —Gavin Lyall
- Concise as a telegram —Elyse Sommer
- Short as any dream —William Shakespeare
- Short, clear as a bird-note, trailing away —E. B. White
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Noun | 1. | brevity - the use of brief expressions terseness - a neatly short and concise expressive style |
| 2. |  brevity - the attribute of being brief or fleeting |
brevity
noun
1. shortness, transience, impermanence, ephemerality, briefness, transitoriness The bonus of this homely soup is the brevity of its cooking time.
2. conciseness, economy, crispness, concision, terseness, succinctness, curtness, pithiness The brevity of the letter concerned me.
conciseness rambling, verbiage, tautology, wordiness, verbosity, redundancy, diffuseness, tediousness, prolixity, long-windedness, discursiveness, circuity, verboseness
conciseness rambling, verbiage, tautology, wordiness, verbosity, redundancy, diffuseness, tediousness, prolixity, long-windedness, discursiveness, circuity, verboseness
Quotations
"Brevity is the soul of wit" [William Shakespeare Hamlet]
"I strive to be brief, and I become obscure" [Horace Ars Poetica]
"Brevity is the soul of wit" [William Shakespeare Hamlet]
"I strive to be brief, and I become obscure" [Horace Ars Poetica]
Translations
إيجاز
krátkoststručnost
korthed
stuttleiki, gagnorîur stíll
kısalık
brief
(briːf) adjective not long; short. a brief visit; a brief account.
noun a short statement of facts (especially in a lawsuit, of a client's case). a lawyer's brief.
verb to give detailed instructions to (especially a barrister, group of soldiers etc). The astronauts were briefed before the space mission.
ˈbriefing noun instructions and information. The pilots were given a briefing before they left.
ˈbriefly adverbHe told me briefly what he knew.
briefs noun plural (used especially in shops) women's pants or men's underpants. a pair of briefs.
brevity (ˈbrevəti) noun shortness (of speech, writing, time etc). He is well known for the brevity of his speeches.
ˈbriefcase noun a light case for papers, made of leather etc. a businessman's briefcase.
in brief in a few words. In brief, we have been successful.