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# brevity

«brevity» in Mova's school dictionary: **Using few words; being short and to the point when…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

noun (brevity — uncountable) — formal

### meaning for a pupil

1) (formal) Using few words; being short and to the point when speaking or writing. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brevity/#m1)

2) (formal) The shortness of time something lasts, as in «the brevity of life». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brevity/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In English lessons it is praised in writing: say what you mean clearly without extra words. A famous saying from Shakespeare's Hamlet: «Brevity is the soul of wit». In exams and formal writing, «for brevity» means «to keep it short».

### examples

- The teacher praised the brevity of my answer. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brevity/#x1)
- For brevity, I will only list the main points. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brevity/#x2)
- Brevity is the soul of wit. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brevity/#x3)
- The brevity of the summer made us sad. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brevity/#x4)
- Text messages need brevity. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brevity/#x5)
- The speech was famous for its brevity: only two minutes. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brevity/#x6)
- Haiku poems show the beauty of brevity. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brevity/#x7)

### note

Uncountable formal noun; in everyday talk say «shortness» or «keeping it short». Related adjective: brief. Spelling: brev-i-ty, not «brief-ity».

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «brevity» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brevity/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.