Definition of: terse

(tûrs) adjective
1. Elegantly concise; short and to the point.
2. Rubbed to a polish; clean; polished; refined. [<L tersus, pp. of tergere rub off, rub down]
—terse′ly adverb
—terse′ness noun Synonyms: brief, compact, compendious, concise, condensed, laconic, pithy, sententious, short, succinct. Anything short or brief is of relatively small extent. That which is concise is trimmed down, and that which is condensed is, as it were, pressed together, so as to include as much as possible within a small space. That which is compendious gathers the substance of a matter into a few weighty and effective words. Succinct writing is taut and lean without extraneous detail. Summary implies compression to the utmost, often to the point of abruptness; as, a summary statement or a summary dismissal. That which is terse has an elegant and finished completeness within the smallest possible compass. A sententious style is one abounding in maxims or short, pithy phrases. A pithy utterance gives the gist of a matter effectively, whether in rude or elegant style. Antonyms: diffuse, lengthy, long, prolix, tedious, verbose, wordy.