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tightlipped

tightlipped

7.1
Not willing to talk or answer questions
  • adjective
  • /ˈtaɪtˌlɪpt/
translation icon : reservado
  • After the incident, he became tightlipped, avoiding any discussion about what had happened.

Examples

  • Though everyone was curious, the witness stayed tightlipped and wouldn't speak to the police.

  • Heís very tightlipped about it.

  • She remained tightlipped during the meeting, refusing to share her thoughts with the team.

Synonyms

secretive
vstightlipped
71 4.9

A person who does not tell others about their plans or feelings

is used more for being reserved in speech than for general hiding
close
vstightlipped
42 7.0

Not willing to tell others about something

is narrower, meaning secretive in speech rather than general guardedness
evasive
vstightlipped
25 7.3

Not giving a direct answer to hide the truth or avoid commitment

is about staying silent rather than dodging direct answers
tight-lipped
vstightlipped
18 5.7

Not willing to speak or give information

has identical meaning but is written without a hyphen in modern usage
reticent
vstightlipped
17 7.9

Not willing to talk about thoughts or feelings easily

is more about refusing to give factual information than personal feelings
cagey
vstightlipped
15 7.5

Careful not to give away information or show their plans

is more about quiet reserve rather than deliberate cautious strategy
uncommunicative
vstightlipped
4 6.3

Not willing to talk or give information

is specifically about secretive reserved speech rather than general silence
closemouthed
vstightlipped
1 7.5

Not willing to talk or share information

is more about general reserve in speech than only reluctance to talk
noncommunicative
vstightlipped
1 8.1

Not willing or able to give information

is limited to unwillingness to speak, not inability or reference to things
mealymouthed
vstightlipped
  • Offensive
1 9.9

Not willing to say what you think clearly to avoid upsetting others

is more about refusing to speak than softening how one talks
closelipped
vstightlipped
8.3

Not willing to tell people private things

is used more for reserved speech rather than privacy focus
incommunicative
vstightlipped
7.6

Unwilling to talk or answer questions

focuses mainly on secrecy in speech rather than broad silence
untalkative
vstightlipped
6.2

Not talking much and often listening to others

is more about withholding information rather than low talk frequency

Antonyms

702 1.0

Willing to consider new ideas

33 2.5

A person who likes to speak a lot with other people

How Reserved

taciturn
5 8.4
tightlipped
7.1
reticent
17 7.9
reserved
3.7
quiet
1.0

Surface Forms

tightlipped positive

Morphology

tightlipped = tight + lipped (transparent) = tight + lip + ed

The adjective is a direct compound of 'tight' + 'lipped' (where 'lipped' = lip + -ed), so its meaning 'having tightly closed lips; unwilling to speak' is directly inferable.

Etymology

Tightlipped comes from the simple parts tight and lip, like someone keeping their lips closed and not speaking. So, it means 'unwilling to talk or give information'.