tightly fitting
1
3.2
- adjective
:
ajustado
- She prefers wearing tightly fitting leggings for her workouts as they offer good support.
- a tightly fitting lid
Examples
-
Paul was getting hugged by some huge man in a tightly fitting suit.
Fiction book (1997) -
Stark white walls now surrounded him, interrupted only by glass-covered, inset mini-cam ports and the thin outline of a tightly fitting door.
Fiction book (2002) -
More often than not, tightly fitting shoes or high heels are to blame.
Blog text (29) -
Are Italians cool because some wear tightly fitting designer suits?
Blog text (8) -
The trace soil patterns documented in this paper can only indicate when a single transfer method, either dragging or placing, has occurred to a human body wearing tightly fitting clothes.
Academic text (2017) -
It was tightly fitting, and you could see through it, especially if it was illuminated from behind, as it often was in the light of the door; you could see the dark V of her pubic hair, the hairs themselves, and the dark spots of her nipples.
Academic text (1993) -
His wildly colorful shirt was stylish, but it was too tightly fitting around his neck.
-
The dress was designed to be tightly fitting, hugging her curves perfectly.
Synonyms
307
2.6
Tight with little space between parts
8
6.0
Clothing that fits close to the body and shows its shape
6
3.5
Clothes that fit very closely to the body
5
3.4
Stays close to the body or an object and is not loose
1
4.1
Clothing that fits very closely and clings to the body
1
3.7
Fits tightly to the body or an object without being uncomfortable
Close to the body or an object without much space
Made to match the shape and size of something
Fitting very closely to the shape of something without gaps
Tight and fitting closely to the body
Has stretchy parts that make it fit closely
Antonyms
How Tight
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'fitting closely and firmly' is directly and compositionally derived from 'tightly' (in a close/secure manner) modifying 'fitting' (that fits or is close to the body). This is a regular modifier + adjective construction using high-frequency words and is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand the phrase.
Etymology
Tightly fitting comes from the image of a lid or a piece of clothing that is both tightly held and fitting closely around an object or body, leaving no loose space. That's why it means 'snug' or 'fitting closely and firmly'.