laconic, laconically

The adjective laconic and the adverb laconically refer to a thing or an action that is brief or terse. Do not use laconic and laconically to mean “sad” and “sadly,” respectively.

• Ali was a man of few words, but no one ever got lost following his laconic directions.
• To the question "Why do you wish to study philosophy?" the student replied laconically, "Because."

The adverb laconically is often replaced by the adverb dryly.

• “You don’t have to tell me again,” she said dryly.

© Public Services and Procurement Canada, 2024
TERMIUM Plus^®, the Government of Canada's terminology and linguistic data bank
Writing tools – Writing Tips
A product of the Translation Bureau