''laconic'' ▫ᴱᴺ Entries

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''laconic'' ▫ᴱᴺ｜Definition｜1st｜20250713202637-00-⌔

laconic - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

Adjective

laconic (comparative more laconic, superlative most laconic)

• Of speech or writing, communicative through the use of as few words as possible.
  • ✤ Synonyms: terse, succinct, concise, pithy, lapidary
  • ✤ Antonyms: verbose, prolix, loquacious, long-winded, bombastic
  • ✤ Near-synonym: brief
• Of a speaker or writer, communicating through the use of as few words as possible.
  • ✤ Antonyms: talkative, chatty, verbose, prolix, loquacious, long-winded, bombastic
  • ✤ Near-synonyms: taciturn, untalkative, terse, quiet, spartan
  • ✤ I grow laconick even beyond laconicism; for sometimes I return only yes, or no, to questionary or petitionary epistles of half a yard long.¹
  • ✤ His sense was strong and his style laconic.²
• (Australia, sometimes proscribed) Of a person, laidback; casual; not intense.
  • ✤ A key player up the other end of the ground is Harris Andrews, who sometimes gets unfairly criticised for his laconic playing style. He desperately cares for this team.³

Etymology

From Latin Lacōnicus (“Spartan”), from Ancient Greek Λακωνικός (Lakōnikós, “Laconian”). Laconia was the region inhabited and ruled by the Spartans, who were known for their brevity in speech.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ləˈkɒnɪk/
• (General American) IPA: /ləˈkɑnɪk/
• Audio (US): 🔊
• Audio (Australian): 🔊
• Rhymes: -ɒnɪk

Printed 2026-06-28.

(echo:: @ ⌗)

Footnotes

1. August 17, 1736, Alexander Pope, letter to Jonathan Swift: ↩

2. 1738, Zachary Grey, An Attempt towards the Character of the Royal Martyr King Charles I: ↩

3. 2022 June 15, Donal Wilson, “Mid-season review: Brisbane Lions”, in Roar ‎${}^{[1]}$: ↩

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