laconic

adjective

la·​con·​ic lə-ˈkä-nik How to pronounce laconic (audio)
: using or involving the use of a minimum of words : concise to the point of seeming rude or mysterious
laconically adverb

Did you know?

We’ll keep it brief. Laconia was an ancient country in southern Greece. Its capital city was Sparta, and the Spartans were famous for their terseness of speech. Laconic comes to us by way of Latin from Greek Lakōnikos, meaning “native of Laconia.” In current use, laconic means “terse” or “concise to the point of seeming rude or mysterious,” and thus recalls the Spartans’ taciturnity.

Choose the Right Synonym for laconic

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

Examples of laconic in a Sentence

We would rather have a smiling, shape-shifting Democrat we don't trust than a frowning, laconic Republican we trust more. Maureen Dowd, New York Times, 10 Oct. 1996
The closest anyone comes to announcing his destination is a laconic "Guess I'll head on in." Richard Rhodes, The Inland Ground, 1991
… towards the father—laconic, authoritarian, remote, an immigrant who'd trained in Galicia to be a rabbi but worked in America in a hat factory—their feelings were more confused. Philip Roth, Granta 24, Summer 1988
He had a reputation for being laconic. the sportscaster's color commentary tends to be laconic but very much to the point
Recent Examples on the Web Gyllenhaal’s performance starts in the shadow of Swayze’s — Dalton’s signature smirk and laconic posture are all here — before evolving into something more complicated. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024 As for his postwar plan for Gaza, Netanyahu offered a laconic mixture of counter-insurgency and Greater Israel fantasies, to which the hostages’ lives seem subordinated. Bernard Avishai, The New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2024 The strategy of taking on a deadpan, laconic persona for interviews isn’t entirely new. Anna Tingley, Variety, 21 Feb. 2024 The commercial, which will broadcast on CBS during Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday, Feb. 11, highlights Plaza and Offerman’s laconic humor to celebrate the addition of Baja Blast to Mountain Dew’s flavor lineup. Anna Tingley, Variety, 6 Feb. 2024 Terence Winter, Frank E. Flowers, Zach Baylin and Green’s screenplay underscores that for the laconic artist, the music was in the message. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Feb. 2024 His creations are laconic and sly, homing in on moments that contradict the macho football culture that still plagues many educational institutions. Aruna D’souza, New York Times, 27 Dec. 2023 At the gendarmes’ base, a laconic officer took down the details of the robbery, seemingly oblivious of a large butcher knife that lay on his desk, dripping blood. Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 8 Jan. 2024 Fans of Kaurismäki will instantly recognize his house style: Ansa, portrayed in a sweetly laconic performance by Alma Pöysti, might seem to live a drab existence, commuting from market to her cramped apartment in a bored daze. Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 4 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'laconic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin laconicus Spartan, from Greek lakōnikos; from the Spartan reputation for terseness of speech

First Known Use

1589, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of laconic was in 1589

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Dictionary Entries Near laconic

Cite this Entry

“Laconic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laconic. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

laconic

adjective
la·​con·​ic lə-ˈkän-ik How to pronounce laconic (audio)
: using few words : terse
a laconic reply
laconically adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on laconic

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