1
as in secrecy
the practice or habit of keeping secrets or keeping one's affairs secret
we tried to penetrate her strange closeness about her domestic life
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in economy
the quality or practice of being overly sparing with money
rebelled against his parents' closeness with his allowance
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in accuracy
the quality or state of being very accurate
the body was too decomposed to estimate the time of death with any great closeness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in intimacy
the state of being in a very personal or private relationship
the closeness of their relationship was a matter of intense speculation among their coworkers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in proximity
the state or condition of being near
we were surprised by the closeness of everything to our downtown loft
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in carefulness
strict attentiveness to what one is doing
how much you get out of the sermon will depend on the closeness with which you listen to it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of closeness
Building intentional connection rituals before separating for the night helps maintain closeness, as does treating it as a trial period rather than a permanent shift.
—
Allison Palmer, Sacbee.com, 3 Apr. 2026
Loss of spontaneous physical closeness can happen if couples are not deliberate about staying connected, and cost and space are genuine barriers for many households.
—Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2026
Shah explains in the interview that their closeness came from sharing celebrity status.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2026
Batula, who recently filed for divorce from husband and fellow series star Kyle Cooke, took to social media Tuesday to confirm the closeness between she and Wilson.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
There’s this line toward the end where the narrator realizes that her happiness in that year had less to do with being young in a beautiful foreign city and everything to do with soaring at the height of female closeness.
—Literary Hub, 31 Mar. 2026
Wilson’s Defense of Batula Amid Kyle Cooke Drama Wilson’s closeness to Batula was already evident to viewers this season, particularly during a tense on‑camera argument between Batula and Cooke that escalated late one night.
—Jenni Fink, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Serious conversations can deepen closeness.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 30 Mar. 2026
Then, there’s Rigg’s closeness with Kidman.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 30 Mar. 2026
Allison Palmer, Sacbee.com, 3 Apr. 2026
Loss of spontaneous physical closeness can happen if couples are not deliberate about staying connected, and cost and space are genuine barriers for many households.
—Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2026
Shah explains in the interview that their closeness came from sharing celebrity status.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2026
Batula, who recently filed for divorce from husband and fellow series star Kyle Cooke, took to social media Tuesday to confirm the closeness between she and Wilson.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
There’s this line toward the end where the narrator realizes that her happiness in that year had less to do with being young in a beautiful foreign city and everything to do with soaring at the height of female closeness.
—Literary Hub, 31 Mar. 2026
Wilson’s Defense of Batula Amid Kyle Cooke Drama Wilson’s closeness to Batula was already evident to viewers this season, particularly during a tense on‑camera argument between Batula and Cooke that escalated late one night.
—Jenni Fink, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Serious conversations can deepen closeness.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 30 Mar. 2026
Then, there’s Rigg’s closeness with Kidman.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 30 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for closeness
Noun
-
White rejects that the NDAs created secrecy.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The Republicans requested precinct-level voting to ensure ballot secrecy, Evans has said.—
Claire Osborn,
Austin American Statesman,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Channel 24 answered a need identified by a city study on the local music economy back in 2023.—
Madisen Keavy,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The Colorado walkout followed the January closure of a meatpacking plant in Lexington, Nebraska, which was expected to ripple through the local economy and community.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Beyond the music, these earbuds offer high-accuracy AI translation for 100 languages via the Soundcore app and support wireless charging, providing up to 10 hours of playback on a single charge and 42 hours total with the case.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Artists began to care less about the accuracy of representation and pivoted to self-expression.—
Andrey Mir,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Burden internalized this pattern, of foregrounding the importance of the paterfamilias at the expense of real intimacy, of keeping up appearances despite the private pain.—
Marc Weingarten,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Materiality plays a key role in reinforcing this intimacy.—
Olga Garcia-Mayoral,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
When in a forest, stay in proximity to shorter tree groupings.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Right now the comet is difficult to monitor because of its proximity to our star.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Organizations can benefit by valuing carefulness and concentration not as an obligation, but as a fundamental pillar of success.—
Heather V. MacArthur,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Just as essential a consideration as carefulness for committee members, though, is speed.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
26 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
McCarthy is not the first Hollywood conservative to discuss the industry’s secretiveness over Republicanism.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
19 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Schmitt scratched, Encarnacion gets first start First baseman Casey Schmitt was scratched from Friday’s starting lineup due to lower back tightness.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Mark Vientos reached base safely four times, but slugger Juan Soto exited early with right calf tightness.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Closeness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/closeness. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
