• (RP) IPA: /tɜːs/
• (Canada, America) IPA: /tɝːs/

terse (comparative terser, superlative tersest)

1. (by extension) Of speech or style#Noun|style: brief#Adjective|brief, concise, to the point.

   Synonyms: concise, succinct, see also Thesaurus:concise

   Antonyms: prolix, verbose, wordy, see also Thesaurus:verbose

2. (by extension) Of manner or speech: abruptly or brusquely short#Adjective|short; curt.

   Synonyms: abrupt, brusque, mardy, short-spoken

3. (obsolete) burnished#Adjective|Burnished, polished#Adjective|polished; fine#Adjective|fine, smooth#Adjective|smooth; neat, spruce#Adjective|spruce. [from early 17th c.]
   • 1601, Ben Jonson, Poetaster or The Arraignment: […], London: Printed [by R. Bradock] for M[atthew] L[ownes] […], published 1602, OCLC 316392309 ↗, Act III, scene i ↗:

     By Phœbus, here's a moſt neate fine ſtreete; is't not? I proteſt to thee, I am enamord of this ſtreete now, more then of halfe the ſtreetes of Rome, againe; tis ſo polite, and terſe; [...]

• French: laconique
• German: knapp, markig, prägnant
• Italian: asciutto, asciutta, essenziale, laconico, laconica, scabro, scabra, stringato, stringata, sintetico, sintetica
• Portuguese: conciso, concisa
• Russian: ко́ваный
• Spanish: conciso, concisa, lacónico, lacónica

• French: laconique, lapidaire
• German: (colloquial) kurz angebunden, wortkarg
• Portuguese: breve, curto, curta, direto, direta, lacónico, resumido, sucinto, sintético
• Russian: односло́жный
• Spanish: brusco, brusca, lacónico, lacónica