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
ADVERTISEMENT

Examples of PITHY

  1. … 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

Origin of PITHY

(see 1pith)
First Known Use: 1562

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>.

Other Botany Terms

annual, burgeon, chloroplast, nomenclature, succulent, sylvan, xylem

Rhymes with PITHY

Browse

Next Word in the Dictionary: pithy gallPrevious Word in the Dictionary: pithwormAll Words Near: pithy
ADVERTISEMENT
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.
Test your vocab with our fun, fast game
Ailurophobia, and 9 other unusual fears