closeness

American  

[klohs-nis] / ˈkloʊs nɪs /

noun

1. nearness in space or time.

   Reclining my seat on the plane, I was aware of the closeness of the seats behind me.

   All the media reports of the attack noted its closeness to Easter.

2. the state or quality of having a strong bond of love or friendship; intimacy.

   After the breakup, he thought he would never feel trust or real closeness again.

3. nearness in kind or relationship.

   Their analysis emphasized the closeness of the correlation between food prices and energy prices.

4. the state or condition of having parts or elements near to one another; tightness or density.

   Durability of the silk depends on the quality of the thread and the closeness of the weave.

5. the quality or condition of leaving the hair, grass, etc., very short or flush with the surface.

   My wife and children have noticed the closeness of the shave I get with my new razor.

6. the quality or condition of not deviating from a model or original.

   In certain passages the closeness of the translation is marvelous, but usually he paraphrases the original quite a bit.

7. the quality or condition of being nearly even or equal, as of a contest or competition.

   Given the closeness of the race so far, it’s impossible to predict the outcome of the mayoral election.

8. the state or quality of being similar in degree, action, feeling, etc..

   Observers at the trial were deeply moved by her cracking voice and closeness to tears.

   In the midst of my waning courage and closeness to despair, you helped me find hope and purpose.

9. the state or condition of being confined or narrow.

   Despite the closeness of the quarters—one main room shared by our two families—we all got along.

10. a heavy, oppressive, or stifling condition due to heat, humidity, lack of ventilation or breeze, etc.; stuffiness or sultriness.

    After an hour's conversation I left, half stifled by the heat and closeness of the room.

    The brooding closeness of the atmosphere, even at night, smothers all activity in the rainforest.

11. the quality of being rigorous, detailed, probing, etc., as of an examination, study, or the like.

    One important need is to increase the closeness of the research carried out in public universities.

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Other Word Forms

• overcloseness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of closeness

First recorded in 1525–35; close ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Example Sentences

I met them at a mosque in Minneapolis, where the imam described how the crisis had strengthened ties across faith groups: "The ICE raid created more closeness and more brotherhood and sisterhood."

From BBC • May 7, 2026

That immediate closeness — and a shared love of pizza crunch, a battered pizza popular in Scotland — allowed the actors to take on the more demanding aspects of their roles.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

Perhaps emboldened by Pyongyang's new closeness to Russia, Trump's comment in October that he was "100 percent" open to meeting Kim again went unanswered.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

Connections can seem superficial in large groups, but it really depends on how you define closeness.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

In their coded exchanges they had drawn close, but how artificial that closeness seemed now as they embarked on their small talk, their helpless catechism of polite query and response.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

Related Words

• intimacy
• proximity