CLOSENESS

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does closeness mean? 

• CLOSENESS (noun)
  The noun CLOSENESS has 6 senses:

1. a feeling of being intimate and belonging together

2. the quality of being close and poorly ventilated

3. the spatial property resulting from a relatively small distance

4. extreme stinginess

5. characterized by a lack of openness (especially about one's actions or purposes)

6. close or warm friendship

  Familiarity information: CLOSENESS used as a noun is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CLOSENESS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A feeling of being intimate and belonging together

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Synonyms:

closeness; intimacy

Context example:

their closeness grew as the night wore on

Hypernyms ("closeness" is a kind of...):

belonging (happiness felt in a secure relationship)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "closeness"):

togetherness (affectionate closeness)

Derivation:

close (close in relevance or relationship)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The quality of being close and poorly ventilated

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

closeness; stuffiness

Hypernyms ("closeness" is a kind of...):

quality (an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The spatial property resulting from a relatively small distance

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

closeness; nearness

Context example:

the sudden closeness of the dock sent him into action

Hypernyms ("closeness" is a kind of...):

distance (the property created by the space between two objects or points)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "closeness"):

propinquity; proximity (the property of being close together)

adjacency; contiguity; contiguousness (the attribute of being so near as to be touching)

Derivation:

close (not far distant in time or space or degree or circumstances)

close (at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Extreme stinginess

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

closeness; meanness; minginess; niggardliness; niggardness; parsimoniousness; parsimony; tightfistedness; tightness

Hypernyms ("closeness" is a kind of...):

stinginess (a lack of generosity; a general unwillingness to part with money)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "closeness"):

littleness; pettiness; smallness (lack of generosity in trifling matters)

miserliness (total lack of generosity with money)

Derivation:

close (giving or spending with reluctance)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Characterized by a lack of openness (especially about one's actions or purposes)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

closeness; secretiveness

Hypernyms ("closeness" is a kind of...):

unsociability; unsociableness (an unsociable disposition; avoiding friendship or companionship)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "closeness"):

furtiveness; sneakiness; stealthiness (a disposition to be sly and stealthy and to do things surreptitiously)

Antonym:

openness (characterized by an attitude of ready accessibility (especially about one's actions or purposes); without concealment; not secretive)

Derivation:

close (inclined to secrecy or reticence about divulging information)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Close or warm friendship

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

closeness; familiarity; intimacy

Context example:

the absence of fences created a mysterious intimacy in which no one knew privacy

Hypernyms ("closeness" is a kind of...):

friendliness (a friendly disposition)

 Context examples 

Jupiter and Neptune, two major outer planets, move slowly, which allows them to be within significant mathematical closeness until mid-November 2020.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

Any of the individuals who are descended from a common progenitor, related by marriage or other legal tie, or by a feeling of closeness.

(Family Member, NCI Thesaurus)

Subtly and unaware she grew toward him and closer to him, while he, sensing the growing closeness, longed to dare but was afraid.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

This may be fancy, though I think the memory of most of us can go farther back into such times than many of us suppose; just as I believe the power of observation in numbers of very young children to be quite wonderful for its closeness and accuracy.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

I drew it out, and at his desire, as well as I could, expressed to him the use of it; and charging it only with powder, which, by the closeness of my pouch, happened to escape wetting in the sea (an inconvenience against which all prudent mariners take special care to provide,) I first cautioned the emperor not to be afraid, and then I let it off in the air.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

To be losing such pleasures was no trifle; to be losing them, because she was in the midst of closeness and noise, to have confinement, bad air, bad smells, substituted for liberty, freshness, fragrance, and verdure, was infinitely worse: but even these incitements to regret were feeble, compared with what arose from the conviction of being missed by her best friends, and the longing to be useful to those who were wanting her!

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

Mars will leave fire-sign Sagittarius on February 16, so the first half of February will be the very best for feeling the closeness and warmth from those you love.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

Discontented people might talk of corruption in the Commons, closeness in the Commons, and the necessity of reforming the Commons, said Mr. Spenlow solemnly, in conclusion; but when the price of wheat per bushel had been highest, the Commons had been busiest; and a man might lay his hand upon his heart, and say this to the whole world,—Touch the Commons, and down comes the country!

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

If you can wait to sign on December 27, that would be wonderful—Jupiter’s closeness to the Sun suggests a very profitable outcome.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

A trine from Jupiter brings good health, optimism, and the possibility of finding an important new love interest or the growing closeness and deepening of love for your present partner.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)