Skip to content
GREMockTests
GRE vocabulary

terse

adjectiveHigh-frequency wordMore T words

brief and to the point, sometimes to the point of curtness

Word origin: From Latin tersus, polished or wiped clean.

Start a free GRE mock test 39 minutes · free · instant score
In a sentence

Terse in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing terse in a sentence.

His terse reply of 'Noted' made clear he had no interest in further discussion.

The committee's terse reply, just two sentences, left the petitioners uncertain whether they had been rebuffed or merely deferred.

Antonyms
verbosewordyrambling

Quick GRE check

Question 1 of 3

3 questions, about 2 minutes. How would you do on the real test?

Verbal · Text Completion

The novelist's late style is admired precisely for its blank: every superfluous phrase has been pared away, leaving prose of startling economy.

Select the word that best completes the sentence.

Usage & nuance

Using “terse” well

Terse means brief and to the point, and it can shade into curtness that seems brusque or unfriendly. It is the opposite of verbose or wordy.

Common questions

Questions about “terse”

Terse (adjective) means brief and to the point, sometimes to the point of curtness
Here is terse used in an example sentence: "His terse reply of 'Noted' made clear he had no interest in further discussion." Another example: "The committee's terse reply, just two sentences, left the petitioners uncertain whether they had been rebuffed or merely deferred."
Common synonyms for terse include concise, succinct, curt, laconic.
Antonyms of terse include verbose, wordy, rambling.
Clusters with concise, succinct, and laconic in Sentence Equivalence. Its antonyms verbose, wordy, and rambling mark the contrasting choice.
Yes. Terse is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

See these words the way the GRE tests them.

Take the free 39-minute GRE Quick Mock Test and meet words like this inside real Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence questions, with a worked solution for every answer.