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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective laconic contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of laconic are compendious, concise, pithy, succinct, summary, and terse. While all these words mean "very brief in statement or expression," laconic implies brevity to the point of seeming rude, indifferent, or mysterious.

an aloof and laconic stranger

Where would compendious be a reasonable alternative to laconic?

Although the words compendious and laconic have much in common, compendious applies to what is at once full in scope and brief and concise in treatment.

a compendious dictionary

When is concise a more appropriate choice than laconic?

The words concise and laconic are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, concise suggests the removal of all that is superfluous or elaborative.

a concise description

How is pithy related to other words for laconic?

Pithy adds to succinct or terse the implication of richness of meaning or substance.

a comedy sharpened by pithy one-liners

When might succinct be a better fit than laconic?

The synonyms succinct and laconic are sometimes interchangeable, but succinct implies the greatest possible compression.

a succinct letter of resignation

When can summary be used instead of laconic?

The meanings of summary and laconic largely overlap; however, summary suggests the statement of main points with no elaboration or explanation.

a summary listing of the year's main events

In what contexts can terse take the place of laconic?

While in some cases nearly identical to laconic, terse implies pointed conciseness.

a terse reply

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of laconic His laconic, weary speech contrasts with the more expansive, and at times mannered, language of the voice on the tapes. Houman Barekat, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025 His ability to be believable as both a laconic grump and a hysterically shrieking interrogator helps add some emotional grounding to Havoc, which otherwise indulges in Evans’s more-is-more-is-more ideology. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025 The receding glacier left sandy soil along a laconic Kankakee River. Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025 The film’s honesty, whether loquacious or laconic, sears even more in the absence of a score. Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for laconic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laconic
Adjective
  • The Look and Sound of Leadership Each episode delivers concise, ready-to-use strategies for communicating with confidence, managing teams and leading through change.
    Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
  • There is no shortage of lengthy and confusing timelines of Swift’s battle to own those albums on the Internet, but below is a concise history.
    Jem Aswad, Variety, 30 May 2025
Adjective
  • While the Trump administration was silent on the details of the document, a New York Times report described it as merely a list of bullet points, not a full draft, citing four officials familiar with the negotiations.
    Zach LaChance, The Washington Examiner, 1 June 2025
  • Proenza Schouler leans toward a silent gesture with its mint green terry dress.
    Alex Sales, Glamour, 31 May 2025
Adjective
  • The private residence was used for a brief exterior shot only in the movie.
    Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2025
  • Peyton Manning Doesn't Hold Back About Aaron Rodgers Amid Steelers Rumors During an appearance on 93.7 The Fan, Marino revealed some brief thoughts on Rodgers and the Steelers.
    Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 June 2025
Adjective
  • Sprinkle tops evenly with reserved sugar-flour mixture (about 1 1/2 teaspoons each).
    Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 28 May 2025
  • My ticket was for travel with up to six others in a reserved couchette cabin.
    Carlton Reid, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
Adjective
  • Unlike traditional employee income, business income does not always come with summary tax forms like the W2 at the end of the year.
    Vlad Rusz, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
  • Deputy Attorney General Drew Ensign struggled to answer a barrage of Boasberg’s questions during a Thursday hearing in Washington’s federal court, home to a multi-week standoff over President Trump’s executive power to exert summary deportations in the name of national security.
    David Catanese, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Ratajkowski has been fighting the stereotype of the dumb model from the beginning of her career.
    Daniel Jackson, Allure, 18 July 2017
  • Ninety nine percent of all NFL players are explicitly not dumb.
    Andy Benoit, The MMQB, 10 July 2017
Adjective
  • The company expects ongoing cautious consumer behavior amid persistent inflation, leading to restrained discretionary spending, especially on high-ticket products.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
  • Wirtz, especially, can look awkward in Julian Nagelsmann’s team, and is used in a comparatively restrained way.
    Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 28 May 2025
Adjective
  • And Katie, a taciturn woman in her 30s who has run away from her former life following a humiliating breakup, is played with sharp-eyed wariness and a fiery edge by Kate Rose Reynolds.
    Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 May 2025
  • The draft threatens Lionel and David’s taciturn romance, while Shattuck’s script hinges more on gestures and exchanges than literal declarations of feeling, and both the traumas of war and existential uncertainty about his sexuality and desires eventually plague David.
    Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 21 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Laconic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laconic. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

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