tighter

1. 1
   adjective

   Comparative of tight.

   She chose a tighter sweater that hugged her shoulders.

   After the repair, the seal around the window was noticeably tighter.

   Note

   Built the regular way, with -er added to tight, and paired with the superlative tightest. It carries every meaning of its base: a tighter seal or knot is firmer, a tighter rope is more taut, a tighter friendship is closer, and in casual speech tighter money is scarcer. Because the suffix does the work, the short form is the usual choice over more tight.

2. 2
   adverb

   Comparative of tight.

   She gripped the rope tighter as the wind picked up over the ridge.

   The mechanic warned that the bolts needed to be turned tighter to stop the rattle.

   Note

   Here the comparative answers how rather than what kind: pull that rope tighter, grip it tighter, turn the bolts tighter. It keeps the adverb tight's sense of holding firmly so nothing comes loose, and it sits after the verb, usually with the object in between. The spelling is shared with the adjective comparative, so position tells them apart: a tighter knot describes the knot, tie it tighter describes the tying.

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