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Pithy: meaning, pronunciation and examples

Pithy adjective. Short, clever and full of meaning.

How to say it

PITH-ee/ˈpɪθi/

2 syllables, stressed on the first (PITH).

Pithy in a sentence

The best wedding speeches are warm and pithy, not forty minutes long.

She has a pithy reply for every heckler.

Similar and opposite

Similar:

  • concise
  • terse
  • succinct
  • crisp

Opposite:

Where pithy comes from

From pith, the spongy core of a stem, long used for the essential part of something.

Test yourself

Which word fills the gap?

She has a _____ reply for every heckler.

  • voluble
  • lexiphanic
  • pithy
Show the answer

pithy: She has a pithy reply for every heckler.