Synonym StackPlay. Learn. Level up
Get Synonym Stack free

Play. Learn. Level up

Qualities

Synonyms for close

Synonyms for close: near, secretive, faithful, nearby, shut and stuffy. Every one of them is a hand audited pair from the Synonym Stack word bank, shown below in the sense it fits, in a real sentence, and beside the words that only look close.

6 synonyms · Tier 1, Foothills · 2 senses · adjective · 2 opposites · 4 sentences · 2 reason lines · a wrong tile in 10 puzzles

The 6 synonyms for close

Interchangeable with close, one per sense

Audited under close's own entry, so the meaning quoted is the one close carries in that sense.

  • nearadjective, in the sense "not far distant in time or space or degree or circumstances"
  • secretiveadjective, in the sense "inclined to secrecy or reticence about divulging information"

Recorded from the other side of the pair

These entries were written under the other word and name close as the true synonym, so the sense quoted is theirs.

  • faithfulfaithful is an adjective in the sense "marked by fidelity to an original"
  • nearbynearby is an adverb in the sense "in a near or close position"
  • shutshut is a verb in the sense "move so that an opening or passage is obstructed"
  • stuffystuffy is an adjective in the sense "lacking fresh air"

Two directions, one standard: two audited under close and four under the partner word. Nothing here was expanded out of a thesaurus.

Sense 1 of 2adjectiveTier 1, FoothillsQualities

not far distant in time or space or degree or circumstances

She was close to tears.

One sentence, one sense. Without it the word could be read three other ways.

close in 2 more sentences, same sense

  • The bakery stays close enough to the station that commuters stop in every morning before their train.
  • Write soon, since the holidays are close and I would love to see you before then.

How it behaves: Close in this sense typically takes a following phrase beginning with to that names what it is close to, covering space, time, or emotional degree, and it suits neutral to informal registers.

The true synonym

near

Same sentence, swapped: She was near to tears.

Close but different

Wrong tiles, chosen to be tempting rather than absurd. The reason line above takes the nearest one apart; the rest fail the same sentence for their own reasons.

  • faithful
  • stuffy
  • far

Opposites, in this sense

distant and remote reverse close as it is used in the sentence above. A different sense of close takes different opposites, which is why these sit inside the sense and not at the top of the page.

  • distant
  • remote
Sense 2 of 2adjectiveTier 3, RidgelineQualities

inclined to secrecy or reticence about divulging information

Although they knew her whereabouts her friends kept close about it.

One sentence, one sense. Without it the word could be read three other ways.

The true synonym

secretive

Same sentence, swapped: Although they knew her whereabouts her friends kept secretive about it.

Close but different

These three are the other tiles the game puts on screen for this sense, and the note above says why the closest of them fails. None is a synonym for close in the sentence quoted.

  • near
  • tight
  • set

Where close turns up in the game

close is the word under test in two puzzles, spread across two difficulty tiers. It also sits on the board as one of the three wrong tiles in ten other puzzles, where the answer is a different word entirely.

4 of the 10 puzzles where close is the trap

  • breakverb, Tier 1, Foothills. The answer there is interrupt, in the sense "terminate or end", with close sitting one tile away.
  • commitverb, Tier 1, Foothills. The answer there is practice, in the sense "engage in or perform", so close is there to be ruled out.
  • distantadjective, Tier 1, Foothills. The answer there is remote, in the sense "far apart in relevance or relationship or kinship", so close is there to be ruled out.
  • fulladjective, Tier 1, Foothills. The answer there is good, in the sense "having the normally expected amount", so close is there to be ruled out.

Play close

The bank on this page is the bank the game plays from, so close reaches you as a board rather than a definition: the sentence first, four tiles, and the meaning after you choose.

Free with ads on iPhone. Synonym Stack Plus removes them: $2.99 a week, $5.99 a month or $49.99 a year, with a 7 day free trial on the monthly and annual plans.

A reason under every answer, not just a right answer

Synonym Stack plays from this exact bank. close carries 2 written reason lines, and the game shows them the moment a round ends, whichever tile you tapped.

Get Synonym Stack freeFree with ads on iPhone. Synonym Stack Plus removes them: $2.99 a week, $5.99 a month or $49.99 a year, with a 7 day free trial on the monthly and annual plans.