as in conciseness
the condition of being short
the shortness of the commencement speech was much appreciated by the impatient graduates
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Recent Examples of shortness
Pegula, Anisimova and Gauff should be pleased with their early-round draws, which are more important on SW19’s grass than at any other Grand Slam, because of the shortness of the season and the lack of time to build rhythm.
—
Ava Wallace,
New York Times,
26 June 2026
How much of his life, his desperate desire for success, greatness, had been prompted by his shortness?
—
Literary Hub,
11 Mar. 2026
The team’s mean average height is 6-foot-4 due to the notable shortness of main rotation guards Tre Jones (6-foot-1) and Rob Dillingham (6-foot-2) and two-way guards Yuki Kawamura (5-foot-7) and Mac McClung (6-foot-2).
—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
Luzzatto said the relative shortness of that term is scaring away capital.
—
Matthew Geiger,
Denver Post,
19 Sep. 2025
February was deemed an appropriate time for a special observance of Black history not because of the shortness of the month, but instead to coincide with the birthdays of abolitionist Frederick Douglass and President Abraham Lincoln, who issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
—
Scott Talley,
Freep.com,
15 Feb. 2025
Ava Wallace,
New York Times,
26 June 2026
How much of his life, his desperate desire for success, greatness, had been prompted by his shortness?
—
Literary Hub,
11 Mar. 2026
The team’s mean average height is 6-foot-4 due to the notable shortness of main rotation guards Tre Jones (6-foot-1) and Rob Dillingham (6-foot-2) and two-way guards Yuki Kawamura (5-foot-7) and Mac McClung (6-foot-2).
—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
Luzzatto said the relative shortness of that term is scaring away capital.
—
Matthew Geiger,
Denver Post,
19 Sep. 2025
February was deemed an appropriate time for a special observance of Black history not because of the shortness of the month, but instead to coincide with the birthdays of abolitionist Frederick Douglass and President Abraham Lincoln, who issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
—
Scott Talley,
Freep.com,
15 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shortness
Noun
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The transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
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The conciseness, the visual satisfaction, and the crucial interplay between image and word makes reading a good graphic novel—or, in this case, graphic memoir—an electrifying, transporting experience.
Noun
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Throughout June, The Times verified Ukrainian strikes on oil and gas storage facilities, compression stations and power plants.
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Do not miss the Ashes signature treatment that includes compression, full-body lymphatic feathering, and acupuncture.
Noun
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Director-level and above roles continued to show relative strength, growing faster than the broader market, while junior and mid-level hiring recovered only after prior contraction.
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The National Bureau of Economic Research dates the contraction that began in 1929 as ending in March 1933, though the broader Depression lasted for years and the economy suffered another severe recession in 1937-38 before World War II.
Cite this Entry
“Shortness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortness. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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