First Known Use: 1562
Dictionary
pithy
adjective \ˈpi-thē\
: using few words in a clever and effective way
: resembling or having a lot of pith
pith·i·erpith·i·est
Full Definition of PITHY
1
: consisting of or abounding in pith(see 1pith)
2
: having substance and point : tersely cogent
— pith·i·ly \ˈpi-thə-lē\ adverb
— pith·i·ness \ˈpi-thē-nəs\ noun
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Examples of PITHY
- … Gore's prowess had been blurred by his performance in the Quayle debate and by his four preceding years in the Senate, where the prevailing style is indirect and woolly-swathed in layers of “my distinguished colleague” and short on zingers and pithy remarks. —James Fallows, Atlantic, July 2000
- I read my poems in L.A., chatted up the literary set, waxed pithy and beleaguered at the book signings and wine and cheese receptions. —Thomas Lynch, The Undertaking, 1997
- He does not hold forth to his family or to his court of old men; he listens, … then delivers short, pithy edicts that are then followed. —Guy Martin, Esquire, June 1997
- Unlike a great many other science books, the pithy, lyrical text never bogs down in a mudflat of facts. —Leonard S. Marcus, Parenting, December/January 1996
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Origin of PITHY
(see 1pith)
Related to PITHY
- Synonyms
- aphoristic, apothegmatic, brief, capsule, compact, compendious, crisp, curt, elliptical (or elliptic), epigrammatic, laconic, monosyllabic, concise, sententious, succinct, summary, telegraphic, terse, thumbnail
- Antonyms
- circuitous, circumlocutory, diffuse, long-winded, prolix, rambling, verbose, windy, wordy
Synonym Discussion of PITHY
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>.
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