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concise

kun-SYSS /kənˈsaɪs/

adjectiveB2IELTSTOEFLGRESAT

generalacademicbusiness

giving a lot of information clearly and in a few words; brief but comprehensive.

The standard neutral term for good, lean writing; implies active editing and trimming.

The story behind the word. Traces back to Latin concisus, the past participle of concidere ('to cut down or cut to pieces'), formed from com- (intensive) and caedere ('to cut'). Concise writing is text that has undergone surgical cutting to slice away every excess syllable.

Word relationships

compact: Compact describes physical space or layout, while concise describes verbal or text length.
succinct: Succinct focuses on tight synthesis; concise focuses on cutting redundant words away.

discursive: Discursive writing rambles from topic to topic.
rambling: Rambling lacks focus, structure, and length control.

Commonly confused with

precise: Precise means exact and accurate; concise means brief. A sentence can be precise without being concise.

Word family

concisely (adverb): in a brief and clear manner
conciseness (noun): the quality of being clear and brief
concision (noun): the cutting away of unnecessary words; brevity

Collocations

concise guide
concise description
concise summary
clear and concise

Example sentences

"The professor advised students to keep their abstract concise, capping it strictly at two hundred words." Academic writing guidance
"Her concise explanation solved the software problem without overwhelming the user with technical jargon." Professional communication

Memory hook

CONCISE shares a root with SCISSORS and INCISION — you use scissors to cut away extra words. Surgically cut down to size.

When not to use

Avoid using when a statement is brief because it is incomplete or lacking details.

Fun facts

The root 'caedere' also gives us words like 'scissors', 'homicide', and 'pesticide' — all about cutting or killing off.