CLOSEMOUTHED Synonyms: 82 Similar and Opposite Words

closemouthed

adjective

ˈklōz-ˌmau̇tht

as in silent

given to keeping one's activities hidden from public observation or knowledge he remained closemouthed about their activities

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in reserved

tending not to speak frequently (as by habit or inclination) encourage the closemouthed children to speak up and not be shy

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for closemouthed

Adjective

The internet does not work and mobiles are silent.

— Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Rosi returns repeatedly to this theater, and to other films about the area, including the silent-era Last Days of Pompeii, suggesting that his own film might itself be part of an ongoing archival plunder.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026