tightest

1. 1
   adjective

   Superlative of tight.

   Of all the lids we tested, this one made the tightest seal.

   The race ended in the tightest finish the league had seen in years.

   Note

   One spelling covers every meaning of the adjective, from the physical to the slangy. The tightest knot is the most taut or firmly held. The tightest market is where something is scarcest, and the tightest group of friends is the most close-knit. Calling someone the tightest person you know means the most miserly, a derogatory slang use. The -est ending is the regular pattern for a one-syllable adjective like tight.

2. 2
   adverb

   Superlative of tight.

   The bolts near the base were fastened tightest to bear the load.

   He clenched his fists tightest just before the final whistle.

   Note

   The adverb shares its spelling with the adjective superlative because tight itself works as an adverb without -ly, as in hold tight and sleep tight. You can tell them apart by position. The adverb follows a verb (fastened tightest, clenched tightest) and means most firmly. The adjective describes a noun (the tightest seal). Most tightly is the -ly alternative for the same adverbial meaning.

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