CLOSE-KNIT Synonyms: 25 Similar and Opposite Words

close-knit

adjective

ˈklōs-ˈnit

Definition of close-knit

as in friendly

bound together by feelings of very close association a close-knit family that constantly keeps in touch

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of close-knit The design team, small and close-knit, became something of a surrogate family. — Christopher Bollen, Vogue, 16 June 2026 There were many kinds of shtetls, depending on their geographic and political context, but all were characterized by having a concentrated and close-knit Jewish settlement. — Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 June 2026 Her family was, and is, close-knit. — Andre Mouchard, Daily News, 9 May 2026 Most of the cases were in Spartanburg County, where a close-knit, evangelical Slavic community bore the brunt of the cases and where childhood vaccination rates have been falling in recent years. — New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for close-knit

Recent Examples of Synonyms for close-knit

Adjective

Buoyed by a $50 million donation from Griffin and charter-friendly politicians in Tallahassee, Success Academy is set to take full advantage.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 12 Nov. 2026
That sentiment has certainly resonated with the Concord community, a family-friendly Charlotte suburb where the restaurant has taken off.

— Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 11 Nov. 2026

Definition of friendly

Adjective

The Machine was lambasted, fairly, for its clannish coördination and its efforts to keep Democratic politics in a certain mainstream style.

— Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
In the Middle Ages, local churchgoers whispered of clannish Jews poisoning wells to kill Christian children and steal their blood for their rituals.

— Mike Rothschild, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026

Definition of clannish

Adjective

Alexandra Pechman’s feature debut drops Lily McInerny’s Nora into the cliquish literary world of 2011, where an internship at a taste-making magazine means reading the slush pile, fetching coffee, and navigating exclusive parties.

— John Ross, Vanity Fair, 10 Sep. 2026
Whitehead wanted to write, but workshops rejected him and the cliquish undergraduate literary scene put him off.

— Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 22 June 2026

Definition of cliquish

Adjective

The Sagittarius Moon draws attention to your private world, while Mercury retrograde in Scorpio encourages another look at familiar accounts.

— Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 11 Nov. 2026
These businesses offer artists access to audiences who may not regularly visit museums or galleries, allowing artwork to become part of familiar neighborhood environments.

— J.M. Banks November 10, Kansas City Star, 10 Nov. 2026

Definition of familiar

Adjective

The middle daughter of the family has always felt outside of its cliquey confines, what with Lizzy and Jane forming such a pair and Kitty and Lydia (Molly Wright and Grace Hogg-Robinson) practically sharing a brain.

— Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 6 May 2026
The Friends set was notorious for being cliquey and insular.

— Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025

Definition of cliquey

Adjective

Hours after the attack, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said authorities found the bodies of three of the suspect's close family members -- two women and a man -- inside of his home in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, a city about 100 miles northeast of Krakow.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Nov. 2026
Purdue cut the deficit to 34-29 on Ijeboi's TD run but couldn't get any closer.

— CBS News, CBS News, 8 Nov. 2026

Definition of close

Adjective

Its private plunge rooms offer a more intimate alternative to traditional communal bathhouses.

— Evan Moore November 13, Charlotte Observer, 13 Nov. 2026
Set to open later in 2026 is Hawa Haveli, an eight-key stay with a restaurant and cocktail bar, housed in a 19th-century merchant mansion—another intimate boutique property from the same team.

— Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Nov. 2026

Definition of intimate

Browse Nearby Words

close in (on)

close-knit

closely

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“Close-knit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/close-knit. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of close-knit

adjective

Example Sentences

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