tight-lipped
Americanadjective
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speaking very little; taciturn; close-mouthed.
-
having the lips drawn tight.
adjective
-
reticent, secretive, or taciturn
-
with the lips pressed tightly together, as through anger
Etymology
Origin of tight-lipped
First recorded in 1875–80
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.
Four weeks after the dinner, Waller publicly criticized a tight-lipped approach.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Investors will be watching for any clues from ECB President Christine Lagarde in her post rate-call press conference about the path ahead for rates, although she is typically tight-lipped.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
Unsurprisingly, Swift and Kelce have been tight-lipped about wedding details, but keeping an event this huge under wraps is an uphill battle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
That might be akin to Alan Greenspan’s more tight-lipped Fed of the past.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
Lola had turned tight-lipped now, her face as still as a marble statue.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
