Pithy
What it means
Brief yet rich in useful meaning.
Reach for it when praising language that delivers substance with very few words
His pithy closing line clarified what an hour of debate had obscured.
Words to choose between 5
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| professional |
|
| formal | |
| literary |
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everyday
compact
Fits when structure fits much into little space
Careful Compact applies broadly to objects and formats and says nothing about verbal impact.
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professional
Fits when economy and lack of excess are enough
Careful Concise wording may be merely short; pithy also promises force or substance.
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formal
succinct
Fits when a complete idea is compressed neatly
Careful Succinct is neutral about memorability or wit.
-
formal
terse
Fits when abrupt brevity is the actual tone
Careful Terse often sounds unfriendly, unlike approving pithy.
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literary
Fits when polished, quotable wit shapes the brevity
Careful Epigrammatic is specialized and may imply cleverness beyond the writer's intent.
Opposites 3
- wordy
- rambling
- diffuse
Common phrases 3
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pithy phrase
The pithy phrase gave volunteers an easy way to explain the project.
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pithy summary
A pithy summary at the top helped busy readers grasp the recommendation.
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pithy observation
Her pithy observation exposed the assumption beneath both proposals.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Vealhurl, Southern England accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated