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summary

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adjective

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective summary contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of summary are compendious, concise, laconic, pithy, succinct, and terse. While all these words mean "very brief in statement or expression," summary suggests the statement of main points with no elaboration or explanation.

a summary listing of the year's main events

When would compendious be a good substitute for summary?

The words compendious and summary are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, compendious applies to what is at once full in scope and brief and concise in treatment.

a compendious dictionary

When is concise a more appropriate choice than summary?

In some situations, the words concise and summary are roughly equivalent. However, concise suggests the removal of all that is superfluous or elaborative.

a concise description

When is it sensible to use laconic instead of summary?

While in some cases nearly identical to summary, laconic implies brevity to the point of seeming rude, indifferent, or mysterious.

an aloof and laconic stranger

How does the word pithy relate to other synonyms for summary?

Pithy adds to succinct or terse the implication of richness of meaning or substance.

a comedy sharpened by pithy one-liners

When might succinct be a better fit than summary?

The meanings of succinct and summary largely overlap; however, succinct implies the greatest possible compression.

a succinct letter of resignation

When can terse be used instead of summary?

The words terse and summary can be used in similar contexts, but terse implies pointed conciseness.

a terse reply

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of summary
Noun
The law firms asked for summary judgement in their favor, and the government is asking to dismiss the law firms’ challenges to Trump’s orders. Ella Lee, The Hill, 23 Apr. 2025 There are horizontal scrolling rows, and many titles have content summaries and/or trailers. ArsTechnica, 22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
It was delivered to the Task Force five days past the deadline, and contained less than four and half pages, more than half of which consisted of summary narratives. Chris Pandolfo, Fox News, 19 Nov. 2024 The hermit kingdom is known for summary executions, abducting foreign citizens, and for hacking entertainment giant Sony. Sarah E. Mendelson, Foreign Affairs, 28 May 2015 See All Example Sentences for summary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for summary
Noun
  • Project 2025 — a conservative think tank’s outline for Trump’s second presidency — called for the dismantling of NOAA and for its functions to be privatized.
    Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2025
  • What To Know In images released by Giles Pendleton, the Line's chief operating officer, the city's ground infrastructure can be seen taking shape, with the 200-meter-wide outline of the city showing in the desert of the Tabuk Province.
    Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Refine your key points to be clear and concise—no rambling monologues.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
  • As the celebration on the floor dispersed to make way for the second national semifinal, Clayton could be seen greeting every teammate and staffer who offered a handshakes or a hug with a concise message.
    Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Pincus filed a brief on behalf of the American Public Health Association, which argued that invalidating the mandate could increase the cost of preventive care and the cost of health care overall, as patients would delay treatment for preventable diseases and emergencies.
    Joseph Choi, The Hill, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Chief Justice John Roberts asked both sides to submit briefs last week.
    Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Rabelais points out that there are oddities in the world that cannot fit into any classification scheme, more things in our heaven and earth than are dreamt of in either the medieval pretensions of the summa or the ambitious early modern bibliographic machines.
    Brendan Fitzgerald, Longreads, 27 Dec. 2024
  • The stage was set for the Fourth, whose five movements add up to a summa of Bartók’s art, by turns tenaciously labored, sinuously swirling, nocturnally eerie, pizzicato-punchy, and flat-out wild.
    Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Noun
  • Now read the latest smartphone headlines, including those on the Galaxy S25 Edge, in Forbes’ weekly Android Circuit news digest...
    Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
  • News Michelin Guide expands to include U.S. South Apr 2, 2025 Go deeper (1 min. read) Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios New Orleans.
    Carlie Kollath Wells, Axios, 14 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • This significant dip would shrink the worldwide goods trade by 1.7 percentage points, turning the total sum negative.
    Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2025
  • And then squared off the trade a week later, bagging a massive sum.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • More recently, the Legislature passed and Newsom signed a bill requiring California refineries to maintain minimum amounts of gasoline inventories in the hopes of preventing price spikes.
    Rob Nikolewski, Mercury News, 28 Apr. 2025
  • See the costs The month’s hottest markets for sellers of single-family homes and condos in terms of months supply of inventory?
    Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 25 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Expert instructors will teach you strategies to network successfully, revamp your resume and confidently transition into your dream career.
    Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2025
  • With a resume that includes NBA arenas, MLB ballparks, and Formula 1 Grand Prix, Lopez isn’t new to large-scale, high-pressure events.
    Nasha Smith, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Summary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/summary. Accessed 2 May. 2025.

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