Synonyms

close-lipped

American

[klohs-lipt] / ˈkloʊsˈlɪpt /

adjective

not talking or telling much.

close-lipped British

/ ˌkləʊsˈmaʊðd, -ˈmaʊθt, ˌkləʊsˈlɪpt /

adjective

not talking or revealing much

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It would have to be someone quick and close-lipped, for once rumors of those foul-smelling, inedible loaves spread, no respectable baker would dare come to Ashton Place for fear of the dreaded “bakehouse curse.”

From Literature

“Quick and close-lipped . . . I’d say Old Timothy’s the man for the job,” she decided.

From Literature

The White House was also being close-lipped about any negotiations.

From Washington Times

Since her arrest on 6 July 2021, she has remained close-lipped about the whole time period.

From BBC

Sometimes I make excuses not to go, though more often I sit through the allotted 45 minutes my father’s free account grants, and stare at the four glowing boxes of my family members with my close-lipped smile.

From The Guardian

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023