pithy

[pith-ee]

adjective

pithier, pithiest 

1. brief, forceful, and meaningful in expression; full of vigor, substance, or meaning; terse; forcible.

   a pithy observation.

   Synonyms: concise, meaty, pointed, succinct

2. of, like, or abounding in pith.

pithy

/ ˈpɪθɪ /

adjective

1. terse and full of meaning or substance

2. of, resembling, or full of pith

Other Word Forms

• pithiness noun
• pithily adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of pithy¹

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; pith, -y ¹

Example Sentences

“Apple and Amazon have started serving the same disinformation podcast features I had opposed at Spotify,” Young said in a pithy note in 2022.

From Los Angeles Times

He even has a pithy new slogan: "If they spit, we hit."

From Salon

Even more pithy was a tweet from the quarterly Business Ukraine journal, which proudly proclaimed "It turns out Ukraine does have some cards after all. Today Zelensky played the King of Drones."

From BBC

Just search the word on Etsy and you’ll find dozens of pithy phrases on cute stickers and T-shirts that minimize or contradict the word’s original import.

From Salon

The Trump administration has been oddly parsimonious about providing one of its patented pithy catchphrases for what we’re being liberated from.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cogent 
• concise 
• laconic 
• succinct 
• terse 
• trenchant