Shortness — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

Related Entry: Short (adjective)

Short is a different word from Shortness. The synonyms below are for short, not for shortness.

1. having relatively little height

   "a lot of boys are shorter than the girls in middle school, but they quickly catch up by high school"

   similar: little, low, low-lying, low-slung, sawed-off
   related: dwarf, dwarfish, compact, petite, slight, diminutive, half-pint, pint-size, pocket, pocket-size, pygmy, small, smallish, bantam, bitty, dinky, mini, miniature, minimized, minute, puny, teeny, teeny-weeny, tiny, undersized, wee, dumpy, flat, scrubby, squat, squatty, stubby, stumpy, stunted
   opposite: altitudinous, high, lofty, tall, towering
   near: elevated, lifted, raised, uplifted, upswept, high-rise, statuesque, gangling, gangly, lanky, rangy, big, bulky, hefty, hulking, large, largish, outsize, oversize, sizable, voluminous

2. not lasting for a considerable time

   "fortunately for those of us in the hot sun, the graduation speech was short and to the point"

   similar: brief, fast, little
   related: shortish, abbreviated, abridged, curtailed, cut-back, shortened, syncopated, compact, condensed, abrupt, sudden, ephemeral, fleeting, momentary, short-lived, transient, transitory, impermanent, compendious, concise, crisp, epigrammatic, laconic, pithy, succinct, summary, terse, short-range, short-term
   opposite: extended, far, great, lengthy, long, long-drawn-out, long-lived
   near: endless, everlasting, interminable, persistent, unending, longish, overlong, prolonged, protracted, permanent, enlarged, expanded, supplemented, long-range, long-term

3. not coming up to an expected measure or meeting a particular need

   "regrettably, the art supplies are short this year, so you'll have to share"

   similar: deficient, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, low, scarce, shy, wanting
   related: substandard, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, hand-to-mouth, lean, light, meager, poor, scant, scanty, skimp, skimpy, slender, slim, spare, sparse, stingy, bare, mere, minimum, slight, small
   opposite: adequate, enough, sufficient
   near: abundant, ample, bounteous, bountiful, copious, generous, liberal, plenteous, plentiful, plenitudinous, enlarged, expanded, supplemented, abounding, overflowing, teeming, satisfactory, tolerable, lavish, luxuriant, rich, big, considerable, hefty, jumbo, king-size, large, largish, oversize, sizable, substantial, super

4. having a texture that readily breaks into little pieces under pressure

   "short pastry"

   similar: brickle (dialect), brittle, crisp, crispy, crumbly, embrittled, flaky, friable
   related: crackly, crisped, crispened, crunchy, crusty, breakable, delicate, fragile
   near: elastic, flexible, pliable, pliant, resilient, strong, sturdy, tough

5. being or characterized by direct, brief, and potentially rude speech or manner

   "I didn't mean to be so short with you by responding to your request with a snippy I'm busy!"

   similar: abrupt, bluff, blunt, brusque, crusty, curt, downright, short-spoken, snippy, unceremonious
   related: gruff, rough, snappish, candid, direct, forthright, foursquare, frank, free-spoken, open, outspoken, plain, plainspoken, point-blank, straightforward, straight-out, artless, discourteous, disrespectful, impertinent, impolite, inconsiderate, insensitive, rude, tactless, undiplomatic, brief, closemouthed, laconic, reserved, reticent, terse, tight-lipped, earnest, honest, sincere, coarse, crass, crude, low, uncouth, vulgar
   opposite: circuitous, mealymouthed
   near: civil, considerate, courteous, diplomatic, gracious, polite, politic, smooth, suave, tactful, loquacious, talkative, voluble, long-winded, prolix, verbose, courtly, cultivated, gallant, genteel, polished, refined