Terse
adjective /tɜːrs/ — Brief, direct, and deliberately stripped of all excess.
Definition
Sparing with words to the point of seeming abrupt; expressing meaning in the fewest possible syllables, with nothing wasted.
Beyond the definition
Terse carries a kind of authority — the person who gives a one-word answer isn't being rude, they're being precise. It's the vocabulary of people who trust that the right word does more than a paragraph.
Origin & history
From Latin tersus — wiped clean, polished. Related to tergere: to rub or wipe. The original sense was something polished by removing what didn't belong.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
Her reply was terse: 'No.'
He communicated in terse directives — no pleasantries, no padding, just the essential instruction.
The terse elegance of a well-chosen word often outlasts the elaborate sentence built around it.
How to use it
This entry uses an adjective. Follow the examples for the nouns it describes and its position in the sentence.
Choose “Terse” when the meaning fits your context: Sparing with words to the point of seeming abrupt; expressing meaning in the fewest possible syllables, with nothing wasted.
Synonyms
Antonyms
verbose, wordy, rambling, loquacious
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Person Choosing Silence
An adult sits in a quiet, minimalist room with hands folded, eyes focused on a distant, blurred garden, choosing not to answer a ringing phone.
Terse means sparing with words to the point of seeming abrupt. The person’s choice to remain silent rather than engaging with the ringing phone acts as a metaphor for a terse communication style, where the choice is made to say absolutely nothing, leaving only the most essential, minimal response possible.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Terse" mean?
Terse is adjective meaning: Brief, direct, and deliberately stripped of all excess.. Sparing with words to the point of seeming abrupt; expressing meaning in the fewest possible syllables, with nothing wasted.
Where does the word "Terse" come from?
From Latin tersus — wiped clean, polished. Related to tergere: to rub or wipe. The original sense was something polished by removing what didn't belong.