DictionaryAI

closely

adverb
KLOHS-lee/ˈkləʊsliː/

2 meanings of closely

Practice

  1. 1
    adverb
    In a manner involving nearness, careful attention, or a tight connection.

    Detectives examined the evidence closely before reaching any conclusion.

    The company works closely with local suppliers to control costs.

    UsageFor distance, close is usual: stay close. Closely goes with attention or links: watch closely, work closely with, closely related.

    Similarcarefully, attentively, thoroughly, intimately

    Oppositeloosely, casually, superficially

  2. 2
    adverbobsolete
    In a secret or private manner; kept hidden from others.
    That nought she did but wayle, and often steepe / Her dainty couch with tears which closely she did weepe.
    1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene
    Note

    A meaning modern English has let go, though it survives in older poetry. In Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene (1590), the lovesick Britomart steeps her couch with tears "which closely she did weepe": she weeps in private and out of sight, not intensely. Early texts use the modern senses too, so let the context decide. In your own writing, use secretly or privately, because readers will hear the everyday modern sense instead.

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Origin

Formed from "close" combined with the suffix "-ly".

Checked 7 Nov 2026 · 1 fact