Meaning & use
laconic
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Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Saying little, and keeping your words short and plain, often in a dry or unemotional way.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after be: a laconic reply, he was laconic.
Patterns
- laconic about something
- a laconic reply
Asked how the interview went, she gave a laconic answer: fine.
The old farmer was laconic, rarely using ten words where two would do.
His laconic text messages never said more than yes or no.
Word forms
| comparative | more laconic |
|---|---|
| superlative | most laconic |
Common combinations
- laconic reply
- His laconic reply left everyone wanting more detail.
- laconic humor
- The film is full of laconic humor and long silences.
- laconic style
- The author's laconic style makes each sentence count.
- laconic response
- The coach offered a laconic response to the reporters.
- remain laconic
- Even under pressure, the pilot remained laconic.
Synonyms and how they differ
- terse
- Terse often suggests curt or slightly rude brevity, whereas laconic can sound calm and even witty.
- concise
- Concise is praise for saying everything needed in few words, while laconic describes a person's habit of saying little, not necessarily in full.
- curt
- Curt implies impatience or unfriendliness, which laconic does not necessarily carry.
- taciturn
- Taciturn describes a person who dislikes talking in general, while laconic often describes a particular remark or style.
Opposites
Word family
- laconically adverb
- in a brief, dry manner
- laconicism noun
- a brief, pithy way of speaking
- laconism noun
- a short, concise saying or style
Commonly confused: laconic or lackadaisical?
laconic vs lackadaisical
Lackadaisical means lacking energy or care, and has nothing to do with brevity of speech, though it looks and sounds a little similar.
Practice
When asked about her weekend, Mia gave a ____ reply: a single word, nothing more.
Choose one answer.
Laconic describes a reply that uses very few words. Verbose and rambling mean the opposite, and enthusiastic does not describe brevity.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “laconic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.