brevity
/ˈbrɛvɪti
/noun [mass noun]
1Concise and exact use of words in writing or speech: the staff will edit manuscripts with a view to brevity and clarity for brevity, it is worth using these little symbols...
- A customer who responds positively to a cleverly worded e-mail may prefer brevity and clarity in voice mail messages.
- By its brevity, that one word expands to fill the scene, and remains as an indelible memory.
- Imagine the exclamatory brevity that space travel writing might bring.
Synonyms
conciseness, concision, succinctness, economy of language, compendiousness, shortness, briefness, pithiness, pith, incisiveness, crispness, compactness, compression;
laconicism, terseness, pointedness, curtness, abruptness
rare brachylogy
1.1Shortness of time: the brevity of human life...
- The one factor in the movie's favor is its brevity - only 81 minutes, including credits.
- So, in the interest of brevity, here's a quick rundown of what sucked.
- Its refreshing brevity of ten minutes made it a convenient apéritif for the concerto to follow.
Synonyms
shortness, briefness, transience, transitoriness, ephemerality, impermanence
Phrases
brevity is the soul of wit
Origin
Late 15th century: from Old French brievete, from Latin brevitas, from brevis 'brief'.