Terse means using very few words, often so few that it might seem abrupt or unfriendly. A terse reply is short and to the point, without any extra explanation or warmth. If you ask your friend what's wrong and she just says “Nothing,” that's a terse answer.

In writing, being terse can be a good thing when you need to be clear and efficient. A terse instruction like “Stop” gets the message across immediately. Military orders are often deliberately terse: “Move out” instead of “Begin moving to the next location.”

But terse often carries a negative feeling. When someone gives you a terse response, you might wonder if they're annoyed or too busy to talk properly. A teacher who usually explains things carefully but suddenly becomes terse, saying only “Do page 47,” might be having a bad day. The word suggests that brevity has crossed the line from being efficient to being cold or even rude. Being concise is good, but being so brief that you seem dismissive or irritated is being terse.