Laconic Meaning and Usage

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Meaning

Adjective

- Brevity of speech
- Brief and to the point
- Effectively cut short, terse
- Curt, almost to the point of rudeness.

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Derivatives:

Laconian - noun
Laconical - adjective
Laconically - adverb
Laconicism - noun
Laconism - noun

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Some examples:

1. His laconic reply made her worry that he was angry about something.

2. She didn't like to talk on the phone, so if she did have to call someone, she kept her conversations laconic.

3. We don't have time for a long meeting, so please keep your comments laconic.

4. The laconic cowboy raised an eyebrow and just grinned when the girl finished her tirade.

5. The graduates cheered at the Valedictorian's laconic speech.

6. His answer was so laconic that the customer was offended.

7. All I received in response to my request was the laconic reply "Wait."

8. After a laconic introduction the program began.

9. His laconic responses indicated his disdain for those around him.

10. After the loss, the coach's remarks were laconic.

11. Mark’s laconic reply made it clear that he did not want to discuss the matter any further.

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Synonyms: abrupt, aphoristic, blunt, brief, brusque, clipped, compact, compendious, concise, crisp, curt, economical, elliptical, epigrammatic, gnomic, gruff, incisive, monosyllabic, pithy, pointed, quiet, reserved, reticent, sententious, sharp, short, silent, speechless, succinct, summary, tart, terse, to the point.

Antonyms: verbose, long-winded, loquacious, wordy, voluble


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Origin: Laconia was an ancient country in southern Greece, bordering on the Aegean and the Mediterranean seas. Its capital city was Sparta, and the Spartans were famous for their terseness of speech. "Laconic" comes to us by way of Latin from the Greek "Lakonikos," which is derived from "Lakon," meaning "native of Laconia." It has been with us since the 16th century and has sometimes been used with the basic meaning "of or relating to Laconia or its inhabitants" (though we're more apt to use "Laconian" for this meaning today). In current use, "laconic" means "terse" or "concise," and thus recalls the Spartan tendency to use the fewest words possible.

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Some interesting stories about Spartans’ Laconism:

King Phillip of Greece wanted to conquer Sparta. He sent a message to the Spartans saying,
“ If I invade your country, I will destroy your great city”

The answer that was taken back to him was short and sweet,
“If”


Before the historic battle against Persia the Spartans were told that they were to face 250,000 soldiers, and they had so many archers that their arrows would block out the sun.
The Spartan General commented "Good, then we will fight in the shade"


Tips:
A statement that is laconic is brief and to the point. It is cut short so as not to be verbose. Laconic is somewhere in between curt (short and rude) and succinct (short and to the point, pithy). When used as a critique, laconic refers to being short in a rude and almost mysterious way. When used as a compliment, laconic describes being short in order to be polite and not overly verbose.

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Some more examples:

1. She was a laconic poet who built her reputation on using words as sparingly as possible.

2. His political opponents considered Coolidge taciturn; his friends praised him for being laconic.

3. Calvin Coolidge was a very laconic president, rarely wasting words.

4. Most people prefer not to be laconic for fear of hurting others’ feelings.

5. Though the speech was laconic in nature, it told worlds about why it is important to follow directions

6. A full and suitably laconic report of events will follow in March.

7. The strong, laconic hero seen in many of today's action films is a convention that has its roots in the old Hollywood Western.

8. The people enjoyed the public addresses of the laconic queen.

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