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closeness

closeness

4 2.3
How near one thing is to another in space
  • noun
  • /ˈkloʊsnəs/
translation icon : proximidad
  • Southeast Asia has been the top priority of Taiwan's foreign aid programs because of its geographical closeness and recent economic vitality.
  • physical closeness

I have a couple of girlfriends who swear by men's razors in terms of the closeness of the shave.

Examples

  • The closeness of bodies, of cotton, leather, sweat, breath, bellies, thighs, surged and nauseated him.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • My mission has just been to help these people maintain that closeness to their environment.

  • The girl did not like the physical closeness of the two of them at all.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • But I could feel the closeness of the crowd, those unfamiliar men, my father.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Until a week before the referendum, virtually no one predicted the closeness of the vote.

    Academic text (1996)

  • I feel this closeness only when I am inhaling the crisp, unused New Year's air.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Given its geographical closeness and cultural affinity, Southeast Asia catches Taiwan's eyes.

    Academic text (1993)

  • The closeness of the vote, however, also served to confirm Peabody's hunch that legislated controls were indeed inevitable.

    Academic text (1998)

  • Marquette feels perilously lightheaded and dizzy with the sudden closeness of another human being.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • The closeness of the mountains made the view truly breathtaking as we hiked through the valley.

Synonyms

proximity
vscloseness
112 4.2

Nearness in space, time, or relationship

is limited to physical space or position, not time or relationships
nearness
vscloseness
4 1.0

The state of being close in place, time, or feeling

is the general quality of being near in position
adjacency
vscloseness
1 6.8

A situation where two things are next to each other or touching

means being near in position rather than necessarily touching
propinquity
vscloseness
1 9.9

Being close in place, time, or relationship

focuses on physical space or position rather than time or relationships
contiguity
vscloseness
1 8.7

The state of being next to or touching something

refers to being near in position, not always direct contact
proximation
vscloseness
8.6

Being close in space, time, or relationship

refers mainly to physical space or position not broader relations
vicinage
vscloseness
8.6

The area near a particular place, like local streets and shops

is about the quality of being near in position, not the nearby area

Antonyms

distance
274 1.1

A place far away that you can see

remoteness
3 4.8

Being far away in place, time, or connection

How Near

closeness
4 2.3
proximity
112 4.2
distance
739 1.0
remoteness
3 4.8

Surface Forms

closeness singular
closenesses plural

Morphology

closeness = close (transparent) = close + ness

Direct nominalization of the adjective 'close' meaning physical proximity; meaning is straightforward.

Etymology

Closeness comes from close, from the old Latin claudere 'to shut'. It grew to mean 'near', so closeness is simply the quality of being near in space or position.