First Known Use: 1589
Dictionary
laconic
adjective la·con·ic \lə-ˈkä-nik\
: using few words in speech or writing
Full Definition of LACONIC
: using or involving the use of a minimum of words : concise to the point of seeming rude or mysterious
— la·con·i·cal·ly \-ni-k(ə-)lē\ adverb
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Examples of LACONIC
- We would rather have a smiling, shape-shifting Democrat we don't trust than a frowning, laconic Republican we trust more. —Maureen Dowd, New York Times, 10 Oct. 1996
- The closest anyone comes to announcing his destination is a laconic “Guess I'll head on in.” —Richard Rhodes, The Inland Ground, 1991
- … towards the father—laconic, authoritarian, remote, an immigrant who'd trained in Galicia to be a rabbi but worked in America in a hat factory—their feelings were more confused. —Philip Roth, Granta 24, Summer 1988
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Origin of LACONIC
Latin laconicus Spartan, from Greek lakōnikos; from the Spartan reputation for terseness of speech
Related to LACONIC
- Synonyms
- aphoristic, apothegmatic, brief, capsule, compact, compendious, crisp, curt, elliptical (or elliptic), epigrammatic, concise, monosyllabic, pithy, sententious, succinct, summary, telegraphic, terse, thumbnail
- Antonyms
- circuitous, circumlocutory, diffuse, long-winded, prolix, rambling, verbose, windy, wordy
Synonym Discussion of LACONIC
concise, terse, succinct, laconic, summary, pithy, compendious mean very brief in statement or expression. concise suggests the removal of all that is superfluous or elaborative <a concise description>. terse implies pointed conciseness <a terse reply>. succinct implies the greatest possible compression <a succinct letter of resignation>. laconic implies brevity to the point of seeming rude, indifferent, or mysterious <an aloof and laconic stranger>. summary suggests the statement of main points with no elaboration or explanation <a summary listing of the year's main events>. pithy adds to succinct or terse the implication of richness of meaning or substance <a comedy sharpened by pithy one-liners>. compendious applies to what is at once full in scope and brief and concise in treatment <a compendious dictionary>.
Rhymes with LACONIC
Aaronic, atonic, benthonic, bionic, boronic, Brittonic, Brythonic, bubonic, Byronic, canonic, carbonic, colonic, cyclonic, daimonic, demonic, draconic, dystonic, euphonic, hadronic, harmonic, hedonic, hydronic, iconic, ionic, Ionic, Masonic, mnemonic, moronic, neutronic, photonic, phytonic, planktonic, platonic, plutonic, pneumonic, pythonic, sardonic, sermonic, Slavonic, subsonic, symphonic, synchronic, tectonic, Teutonic, transonic
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