Brevity
BREV-uh-tee
/ˈbrev.ə.ti/
Concise and exact use of words in writing or speech; shortness of duration.
Focuses on the quality of being concise and economical, often celebrated as a virtue in modern workplace writing.
The story behind the word. From Latin brevis (short), which also spawned the musical note 'breve' and legal 'briefs'. Renaissance rhetoricians championed brevitas as the ultimate sign of a disciplined mind that could convey deep ideas without wasting ink.
Word relationships
- shortness: 'Shortness' is plain and physical, while 'brevity' carries stylistic weight and connotes effective conciseness.
- conciseness: 'Conciseness' emphasizes removing wordiness, whereas 'brevity' emphasizes brief duration or short length overall.
- verbosity: 'Verbosity' is excessive, tedious wordiness, the direct opposite of brevity.
- lengthiness: Refers to excessive duration or extent.
Commonly confused with
- levity: 'Levity' means humor or lack of seriousness, while 'brevity' means short and concise expression.
Word family
- brief (adjective): Short in duration or extent.
- briefly (adverb): In a quick or concise manner.
Collocations
- brevity of speech
- for the sake of brevity
- admirable brevity
- enforce brevity
Idioms & expressions
- brevity is the soul of wit
Example sentences
- "Remembering that brevity is the soul of wit, she edited her email down to three clear sentences." Shakespearean quote application
- "The manager appreciated the brevity of the status report, which saved everyone valuable meeting time." Professional writing advice
Memory hook
BREVITY comes from BRIEF—keeping your words BRIEF. Shortness that speaks volumes.
When not to use
Do not use to describe physical height or small size of objects; it strictly applies to time, speech, or writing.
Fun facts
- Shakespeare gave the line 'Brevity is the soul of wit' to Polonius in Hamlet—ironic because Polonius is the most wordy, rambling character in the play!
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