1
as in silent
given to keeping one's activities hidden from public observation or knowledge
he remained closemouthed about their activities
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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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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
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
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 when asked how their organizations actually measure leadership trust, most were silent.—
por John Blakey,
Harvard Business Review,
4 Nov. 2025
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The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency's Akatsuki mission orbiting Venus was declared dead last week after engineers spent more than a year trying to get in touch with the silent spacecraft.—
Elizabeth Howell,
Space.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Whisk in eggs, corn syrup, reserved bourbon, and butter until well combined.—
Kathryn Gregory,
Louisville Courier Journal,
10 Nov. 2025
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While sales in the US, the world’s biggest market, fell by a more reserved 9%, the drop comes after several recent yearly contractions.—
Brendan Ruberry,
semafor.com,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Trump levied his greatest assault against the international economic order, announcing the most expansive set of tariffs in American history on both autocratic adversaries and America’s closest democratic allies in April 2025 (Russia was strikingly excluded).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
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Trump, however, made inroads with New Jersey voters in November 2024, making for a surprisingly close race.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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As Legally Blonde's Elle Woods, Witherspoon charted a memorable path from dumb blonde to Harvard Law School graduate.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Nov. 2025
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Celebrities fight it out to be eliminated from the competition as quickly as possible to avoid being crowned the nation’s dumbest.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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However, evidence of their involvement based on their ownership, partnerships, or the often-secretive nature of their locations made clear that at least part of their purpose is weapons-related.—
Tamara Qiblawi,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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The recent escape of several research monkeys after the truck carrying them overturned on a Mississippi interstate is the latest glimpse into the secretive industry of animal research and the processes that allow key details of what happened to be kept from the public.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Over the next several weeks, Fan was beaten, starved, and restrained.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
10 Nov. 2025
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Special shout-out to Harper’s performance, which strikes me as a restrained cousin to John Cleese’s turn as Basil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The Chicago Bears were relatively quiet ahead of the NFL trade deadline.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Hotel Fasano São Paulo Itaim Consistently top-notch, from the beds to the dining, Hotel Fasano exudes quiet luxury.—
Jade Moyano,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Jens generally chooses his words carefully, and is, what’s more, particularly reticent just after finishing a long and difficult winter delivery trip; what’s a person supposed to do with words in a blizzard anyway, up on a stormy heath and all directions lost?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
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Carol, a reclusive and disgruntled bestselling romantasy author, exhorts her reticent audience of five immune English speakers to reclaim human agency against the milquetoast, obsequious blob and join her in a quest to reverse the happiness apocalypse.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Closemouthed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/closemouthed. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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