1
as in intimacy
the state of being in a very personal or private relationship
my cousin and I have lost that nearness we had when we were kids
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in proximity
the state or condition of being near
our nearness to the theme park has made us beloved by relatives from all over the country
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 nearness
The nearness of bees, and of other things that agitate most people, calms me.
—
Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2025
Overstating the nearness of human-level intelligence or ignoring ethical, safety, and energy concerns erodes trust and triggers backlash.
—Paulo Carvão, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2025
Overstating the nearness of human-level intelligence or ignoring ethical, safety, and energy concerns erodes trust and triggers backlash.
—Paulo Carvão, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nearness
Noun
-
Themes of money, intimacy or trust come up in a way that feels crystal clear rather than heavy or mysterious.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
20 Jan. 2026
-
But the relational outcome can sometimes look like access rather than intimacy; people might just stay for the comfort of provision, not necessarily for mutual vulnerability.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
All the peace and love in proximity generated a collective energy that was shared by all.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The Smokies’ proximity to cities creates a false sense of security.—
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Where the image of Hussein communicated consequence through visual degradation, the image of Maduro diffuses consequence through familiarity, structuring interpretation not through rupture, but through normalization.—
Debbie Millman,
Time,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The veteran correspondent and author volunteered to go the chaotic scene because of his personal connection and familiarity with the area.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Since the suitcase won’t be as easy to zip open, thieves will have a harder time seeing whether or not your belongings are valuable; this alone could prevent your bag from becoming a target.—
Liz Provencher,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Jan. 2026
-
For him, an essential part of feeling a sense of belonging is reconnecting with his cultural heritage, ancient practices and ancestral energy.—
Diana Argabrite,
Mercury News,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The multidisciplinary Tlingit/Unangax̂ artist examines kinship and political consciousness on an album that evokes the indie-rock experimentalism of TV on the Radio.—
Petala Ironcloud,
Pitchfork,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Meiklejohn believes the authors could use other methodologies like the FORensic Capture Enrichment panel, designed to isolate human DNA for identifying extended kinship, ancestry and phenotype analysis.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
16 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nearness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nearness. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
