English Reference
Idiom idiom

man of few words


A man who doesn't speak much; a habitually terse or taciturn man.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

“My grandfather is a man of few words.”

CONTEXTUAL

“He is a man of few words, so he rarely speaks during our long family dinners.”

COMPLEX

“Although he was a man of few words, his rare comments always carried significant weight and wisdom during the board meeting.”


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    bad word

    A vulgar word.

  2. 02

    be a man

    To put up with something or take responsibility for it; to deal with something, such as pain or misfortune, without complaining.

  3. 03

    be one's own man

    To behave independently without the influence of others.

  4. 04

    be the bigger man

    To walk away from a conflict to prevent it from escalating.

  5. 05

    boldly go where no man has gone before

    To break new ground.

  6. 06

    breathe a word

    To divulge even part of a secret (usually used with a negative).

  7. 07

    broken man

    A man who has suffered significant and enduring emotional pain as a result of a highly unpleasant or traumatic event.

  8. 08

    dicky

    [Cockney slang]word

Last updated August 10, 2026