Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Precisely meaningful; forceful and brief.
  • adjective Consisting of or resembling pith.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Of the nature of or full of pith; containing or abounding with pith: as, a pithy stem; a pithy substance.
  • Full of pith or force; forcible; containing much in a concentrated or dense form; of style, sententious: as, a pithy saying or expression.
  • Given to the use of pithy or forcible expressions.
  • Synonyms and Terse, laconic, concise, pointed, sententious.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Consisting wholly, or in part, of pith; abounding in pith
  • adjective Having nervous energy; forceful; cogent.
  • adjective (Zoöl.) a large, rough, furrowed, oblong gall, formed on blackberry canes by a small gallfly (Diastrophus nebulosus).

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Concise and meaningful.
  • adjective Of, like, or abounding in pith.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective concise and full of meaning

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

pith +‎ -y

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Examples

  • But I have to remember that, as addicting as it is to deal in pithy statements, editors seem to like things that are longer, and longer works require more effort.

    Stretch 2007

  • After all, men prefer to "blink," a term I picked up from Dell Global Marketing VP Andy Lark, who himself loves to blog in short, pithy sentences.

    Who Gives A Tweet? Mommybloggers Do. - Jory Des Jardins - MediaBizBloggers 2009

  • His blazing contempt for people is couched in pithy, derivative “wit” and helpful pointers on how they could and should be more like him.

    There Is A God « POLICE INSPECTOR BLOG Inspector Gadget 2007

  • He excels in short, pithy work at the hard-science end of the spectrum.

    Archive 2008-01-01 Tim Stretton 2008

  • Comments seelight, i am so glad that you're taxonomizing your language peeves! and i agree with much of what you say, even if it means that i've now re-written this little comment some eight times or howevermany already. but i've got to respond to your post on pithy, which was not so, um, pithy. pithy is a great word, because it specifically means "a maximum of effect from a minimum of words."

    Strunk and Light IV: Using it just to use it 2006

  • After all, men prefer to "blink," a term I picked up from Dell Global Marketing VP Andy Lark, who himself loves to blog in short, pithy sentences.

    Who Gives A Tweet? Mommybloggers Do. - Jory Des Jardins - MediaBizBloggers 2008

  • This pithy is word is gleaned from World Wide Words.

    Mishmash « So Many Books 2006

  • He excels in short, pithy work at the hard-science end of the spectrum.

    :Acquired Taste Tim Stretton 2008

  • Now you can follow my adventures on and off the beach in short, pithy, bursts.

    Archive 2008-05-01 2008

  • Now you can follow my adventures on and off the beach in short, pithy, bursts.

    invisi-birds remain invisible 2008

Comments

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  • This is what pissy sounds like with a lisp.

    March 3, 2007

  • See lisp for more.

    May 18, 2007

  • I use pithy in exactly the opposite sense of WordNet's definition. Pithy is practically devoid of meaning, in the way the pith of a fruit is devoid of flavour and usually not particularly edible.

    March 22, 2009

  • I don't think I've ever heard it used like that, b.

    March 22, 2009

  • Oh that bilby. Alwayth tho full of pith and vinegar!

    March 22, 2009

  • Ha!

    March 22, 2009

  • I had this word as a Word Of The Day once.

    June 13, 2012