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
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
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
-
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.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Jan. 2026
-
The interview was edited for clarity and conciseness.—
Karen Kucher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Dec. 2025
Noun
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The three compressions are Spanxsmooth Swim, which is light compression for barely there smoothing; Spanxshape Swim, medium compression for a little more tummy control and shaping, and Spanxsculpt Swim, strong compression that cinches and snatches.—
Lisa Lockwood,
Footwear News,
11 Feb. 2026
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The subtle compression feels supportive without being restrictive, making long flights and layovers way more comfortable.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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That gravitational pull extended through much of Xi Jinping's first five-year term, when China still projected the promise of profits and opportunity more than political constraint and economic contraction.—
Dewardric L. McNeal,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
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Thanks to housing crises in big cities, many aspiring writers can’t afford rooms of their own, and contractions in the media industry have made writing as a profession less tractable.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shortness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortness. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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