Basic Details
Word: Brevity
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: The quality of using few words, or of lasting only a short time.
Synonyms: shortness, conciseness, briefness
Antonyms: wordiness, length
How to Spell Brevity
Syllables: brev - i - ty
Tricky part: The vowel before ty is i, not e or a. Students who hear brev-uh-tee often write brevety or brevaty.
Watch out for: brevety, brevaty, breivity
Memory tip: Brevity rhymes with levity and ends the same way: -vity.
Idioms and Phrases
- brevity is the soul of wit: the cleverest speech or writing is short and to the point. Example: "Keep your thank-you speech short; brevity is the soul of wit."
Usage Examples
Example 1: The judges liked the brevity of her essay, which said a lot in very few lines.
Example 2: Because of the brevity of the break, we ate our tiffin in five minutes.
Example 3: Text messages reward brevity.
Fun Fact
Brevity and brief both come from Latin brevis, 'short', which also gave English abbreviate, to make a word shorter.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word brevity as used in the sentence:
The principal's speech was praised for its brevity; it lasted only three minutes.
a) briefness
b) wordiness
c) conciseness
d) shortness
Show answer
b) wordiness. Brevity means saying things in few words, so its opposite is using too many: wordiness.
Word Cookie
Choose the letters that complete the word:
br_v_ty
a) a, i
b) i, i
c) e, e
d) e, i
Show answer
d) e, i. The e of the Latin brevis stays after br, and the ending is -ity, as in gravity.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
Our English teacher values tivyber in answers more than long paragraphs.
a) bravery
b) levity
c) gravity
d) brevity
Show answer
d) brevity. Gravity begins with g and levity with l, and bravery needs an a; the letters spell brevity.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these shows brevity?
a) a ten-page letter
b) a two-line thank-you note
c) a speech lasting an hour
d) a story told three times
Show answer
b) a two-line thank-you note
2. A teacher who asks for brevity in your answers wants them to be ____.
a) written neatly in pencil
b) long and full of detail
c) copied from the textbook
d) short and to the point
Show answer
d) short and to the point
