1
as in silent
given to keeping one's activities hidden from public observation or knowledge
he remained closemouthed about their activities
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in reserved
tending not to speak frequently (as by habit or inclination)
encourage the closemouthed children to speak up and not be shy
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of closemouthed
There’s also the closemouthed, menacing technician who lives on a houseboat and raises snakes; the actress first hired for the show’s leading part who dropped out of the role before shooting began; and the unknown burglar who fled the frightened player’s house.
—
Tom Nolan, WSJ, 23 Dec. 2022
Hutton’s gaptoothed smile replaced the closemouthed gaze and white eyeliner of Vogue models of the 1960s.
—Washington Post, 25 Dec. 2021
Ever since the couple pulled up stakes and moved away from the United Kingdom in March, their new spokespeople have been even more closemouthed.
—Maria Puente, USA TODAY, 15 Sep. 2020
By and large, this is a secretive, closemouthed group of individuals who want nothing more than to say little and share even less.
—Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY, 3 July 2018
Led by Vice President Temer, whose cryptic, closemouthed demeanor has his rivals comparing him to a butler in a horror movie, the centrists anchoring Ms. Rousseff’s coalition broke away last week.
—Simon Romero, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2016
Tom Nolan, WSJ, 23 Dec. 2022
Hutton’s gaptoothed smile replaced the closemouthed gaze and white eyeliner of Vogue models of the 1960s.
—Washington Post, 25 Dec. 2021
Ever since the couple pulled up stakes and moved away from the United Kingdom in March, their new spokespeople have been even more closemouthed.
—Maria Puente, USA TODAY, 15 Sep. 2020
By and large, this is a secretive, closemouthed group of individuals who want nothing more than to say little and share even less.
—Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY, 3 July 2018
Led by Vice President Temer, whose cryptic, closemouthed demeanor has his rivals comparing him to a butler in a horror movie, the centrists anchoring Ms. Rousseff’s coalition broke away last week.
—Simon Romero, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for closemouthed
Adjective
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But being silent and withdrawn is certainly not helpful either.—
Carolyn Rosenblatt,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
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Millions of Americans are ashamed of our country and our president but are either cowed or silent about stopping the eroding of our democracy.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Greyhound assigned seating and conflict There’s not widespread awareness of the policy, and some passengers meet with resistance from others who have settled into reserved seats not assigned to them and are reluctant to give them up.—
Cheryl V. Jackson,
IndyStar,
5 Aug. 2025
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The school will provided ticketed reserved sections for football and basketball.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Read More: The Real Danger of the Trump-Putin Summit At the press conference, Putin talked about how close Russia was to America (shades of Sarah Palin) and claimed that Russian trade with American has increased by 20%.—
Richard Stengel,
Time,
16 Aug. 2025
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Still, don’t fully count out the Cajuns — at least to keep it close.—
Maddie Hartley
August 15,
Kansas City Star,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Ratajkowski has been fighting the stereotype of the dumb model from the beginning of her career.—
Daniel Jackson,
Allure,
18 July 2017
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Ninety nine percent of all NFL players are explicitly not dumb.—
Andy Benoit,
The MMQB,
10 July 2017
Adjective
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Gilligan then gave Seehorn the same treatment on the Saul set by offering her the chance to lead his very secretive new sci-fi endeavor for Apple TV+.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Aug. 2025
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Many other aspects of their behavior, diets, and day-to-day lives remain secretive.—
Laura Baisas Aug 14,
Popular Science,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But the whisky never strays too far from its wood-spiced core, with restrained elements of aspen, pine, birch, and cedar wood.—
David Thomas Tao,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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Those gaudy, ridiculous 19th-century renovations lasted about 20 years, after which Theodore Roosevelt tore them out in favor of the restrained work of McKim, Mead & White, which laid the visual foundation for the rooms’ appearance today.—
Christopher Bonanos,
Curbed,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Aston Villa have had a quiet summer, which has led to varying opinions on their floor and ceiling.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
14 Aug. 2025
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The same quiet consensus building once hailed as an effective hallmark of her leadership is being challenged in new ways by interpersonal conflicts on City Council and critics who want bolder leadership.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Prospective students can be reticent to take on the high cost of education—an average yearly cost of $30,884 for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing according to the National Center for Education Statistics.—
Michael B. Horn,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
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European policymakers would be understandably reticent to invest time and resources in any deal that Trump could again scuttle at a moment’s notice.—
Garret Martin,
The Conversation,
15 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Closemouthed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/closemouthed. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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