Concise

/kənˈsaɪs/

adjectiveIntermediate📊CommonScience
1 meaning1 idiom/phrase3 questions

Definitions

1

Using few words in speaking or writing; expressing much in a few words; brief but comprehensive.

/kənˈsaɪs/

adjectiveneutralIntermediate
Science

Expressing much in a few words

The author provided a concise overview of the topic.

💡 Simply: Imagine you're giving a quick summary of your favorite movie. Being concise means you get straight to the important parts, without all the extra details. Like, 'Space adventure! Robots! Exploding planet!' instead of a long explanation.

👶 For kids: When something is concise, it means it's short and sweet! Like a really short story that still tells you everything important.

More Examples

2

The report was concise and to the point.

3

Please be concise in your explanation, we don't have much time.

How It's Used

General writing

"A concise summary of the main points is often useful."

Business

"Presenting a concise report ensures efficiency."

Academic

"The professor requested a concise answer."

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

Idioms & expressions

in a nutshell

Summarized briefly; in a few words.

"In a nutshell, the company's financial performance was disappointing this quarter."

From Latin *concīsus*, past participle of *concīdō* ('to cut short, to cut up'), from *con-* ('with, together') + *caedō* ('to cut').

The word has been used since the 16th century, reflecting the value placed on brevity and efficiency in communication.

Memory tip

Think of a scissor (concise) cutting words to make the text shorter.

Word Origin

LanguageLatin
Original meaning

"To cut short"

concise summaryconcise explanationconcise reportconcise definitionconcise instructions

Common misspellings

consiseconsiceconsize

Usage

40%Spoken
60%Written