terse
Using very few words, often in an unfriendly way.
terse in a sentence
- 'Fine,' was Dad's terse reply, and he said nothing else all the way home.
- The coach's terse team talk at half time was just two words: 'Try harder.'
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to terse?
- Achatty
- Bwordy
- Cfriendly
- Dshort
Show the answer
D: short. The other three mean the opposite of terse.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to terse?
- Abrief
- Bshort
- Cblunt
- Dchatty
Show the answer
D: chatty. The other three mean nearly the same as terse.
Words that mean something similar
short, brief, blunt
Words that mean the opposite
chatty, wordy, friendly
More words about speech & sound
- tumult: A loud, confused noise made by an excited crowd.
- unison: Doing or saying something all together at exactly the same time.
- uproar: A storm of loud noise and angry shouting from lots of people.
- vouch: To say from your own knowledge that something is true or someone is good.
- vow: A serious promise you mean to keep forever.
- warble: To sing with a gentle, trembling sound like a bird.
- whimper: To make small, weak crying sounds.
- wrangle: To argue noisily for a long time.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test