close-knit

adjective

ˈklōs-ˈnit How to pronounce close-knit (audio)
Definition of close-knitnext
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 Local neighborhoods are so close-knit that everyone knows each other, said Allison Buell, a teacher and coach in Hammond. — Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for close-knit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for close-knit
  1. friendly
  2. clannish
  3. cliquish
  4. familiar
  5. cliquey
  6. close
  7. intimate
Adjective
  • Folks in Europe can get the 900 in an A2-friendly configuration that limits its power output.
    — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Wisely, our Fathers chose a secular people-friendly format not subject to papal or evangelical or ayatollah decree.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Oct. 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
  • Budgets have tightened and commissioners have retreated to the familiar — backing low-cost dramas and safe-bet crime formats.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The lineup also brings other familiar names in alternative music.
    — Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 13 Oct. 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
  • While her work regularly brings her into close proximity with children, Uta has little interest in starting a family of her own.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Microsoft was a close third with 6,258, according to the USCIS data hub.
    — Marshall Ritzel,Gabriel Cortés, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of close
Adjective
  • Dyrholm, whose credits include Susanne Bier’s Oscar-winner In a Better World, Magnus von Horn’s The Girl With The Needle and Nikolaj Arcel’s A Royal Affair, will play Linda, an intimacy coordinator who struggles to form intimate connections.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026
  • So these are a class of fungi that form a very intimate association with the vast majority of plants.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of intimate

Browse Nearby Words

close in (on)
close-knit
closely
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Close-knit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/close-knit. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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