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brevity

3 antonyms and opposites of brevity, grouped by meaning.

Noun — The quality of using few words; concise and economical expression.

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun

The quality of using few words; concise and economical expression.

“Her emails are admired for their brevity.”

conciseness succinctness terseness economy pithiness

Opposites

verbosity long-windedness wordiness

2. noun

Shortness of duration.

“The brevity of the visit surprised everyone.”

shortness briefness

Antonyms

verbosity long-windedness wordiness

How to Use Brevity

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

for the sake of brevity admirable brevity brevity of life

Formal to neutral; common in writing about style, editing and public speaking.

Etymology

From Latin brevitas, from brevis meaning short.

Full origin of brevity →

Frequently Asked Questions

What does brevity is the soul of wit mean?

The line is spoken by Polonius in Shakespeare's Hamlet, and means that intelligence and humour are sharpest when expressed briefly. It is quoted, usually as gentle criticism, to tell someone they are going on too long.

What is the difference between brevity and concision?

Brevity is simply shortness, whether or not anything is lost. Concision means saying everything necessary in as few words as possible, so it implies that nothing important was cut. A concise piece is always brief; a brief piece is not always concise.

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Synonyms and antonyms from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.