Words / C2

s-uh-k-SINGKT/səkˈsɪŋkt/

Succinct means clearly expressed in few words — praise for compression, not mere shortness. Brief can be incomplete; concise is the closest synonym. Succinctly is the adverb (to put it succinctly), and in speech short and clear or in a nutshell is enough. A succinct summary keeps the logic, while a curt one drops the manners — examiners love it, and rambling is the enemy.

Meaning

Expressed clearly in few words.

Examples

• “Give a succinct summary of the article.”
• “Give a succinct account of the method, then stop.”
• “Her succinct “no, because of cost” ended twenty minutes of drift.”

Good to know

Short and clear. Close: concise. Everyday: in a nutshell. Contrast: brief (maybe incomplete), curt (rude).

Near in meaning

concise

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