laconic
Using very few words.
ExampleThe author's laconic style makes each sentence feel deliberate.
ExampleHis laconic reply suggested impatience rather than confusion.
Usage Scenarios
Describing tone
Use laconic when few words create a restrained or blunt tone.
ExampleThe character's laconic answer reveals his unwillingness to discuss the matter.
Analyzing style
Use it when the author's writing is intentionally brief.
ExampleThe critic admires the poet's laconic style because it avoids ornament.
Usage Guide
Recognize laconic when a GRE sentence emphasizes brevity in speech or style. It often describes a reply, speaker, author, or sentence.
Useful chunks include laconic reply, laconic style, laconic answer, and laconic statement. The word almost always points to verbal economy.
Do not use laconic for something short in physical length. It describes economical expression in speech or writing, not size.
Word Forms & Word Building
Laconic comes from Laconia, the region associated with the Spartans, whose speech was famously brief and severe.
Laconically is the -ly adverb: he replied laconically, meaning he answered with very few words.
Laconicism is a rare noun for the quality of being laconic; GRE learners mainly need laconic and laconic reply.
Meaning Boundaries
Laconic vs concise
Concise is usually positive and clear. Laconic can sound dry, blunt, or emotionally restrained.
Laconic vs verbose
Verbose means using too many words. Laconic is the opposite: using very few.
Register
Laconic is formal-literary and common in GRE vocabulary about tone and style.
Memory Tricks
Think few words, strong effect, especially when a reply feels restrained, dry, blunt, or deliberately spare.
Pair laconic with reply; that is the easiest GRE chunk.
If a clue says terse, spare, or economical, laconic may fit.
Common Traps
Do not use laconic for a short object or short distance.
Do not assume laconic always means rude; it may simply mean spare or brief.
Avoid mixing laconic with long-winded descriptions because the word requires verbal economy.