tightly knit
3
3.7
- adjective
- /ˈtaɪtli nɪt/
:
unido
- Can these tightly-knit neighborhoods ever return to the peace they shared together only 24 hours ago?
- a tightly knit group
- a tightly knit community
- a tightly knit family
Examples
-
A tightly knit community is less likely to sit by while suspicious activity occurs (Collins and Frantz 1999).
Academic text (2018) -
The faculty and residents must work closely together, much like a tightly knit family.
Academic text (2001) -
Individuals are tightly knit into economic groups across the planet.
Fiction book (1993) -
Nonetheless, the kibbutzim are still relatively tightly knit communities, and their members retain elements of the old communal ideology and pride.
Academic text (2009) -
The medical community, however, seemed tightly knit, woven together by common strands of religious and ethnic purity.
Academic text (1991) -
France's tightly knit political elites feared that France would be marginalized.
Academic text (2000) -
Lucille Epps attributed the high registration levels to the tightly knit atmosphere of the 7,000-person town.
Blog text (29) -
With only five full-time members—four archaeologists and a photographer—SRC is a tightly knit group.
Academic text (2005) -
At 4:50 P.M., the impressionable sixteen-year-old entered the Piggly Wiggly market in Heartland, a tightly knit Midwestern community.
Fiction book (1999) -
The tightly knit community supported each other through difficult times.
Synonyms
22
3.9
A group of people with strong caring ties who support each other
16
3.6
People in a group who know each other well and help each other
1
3.7
A group of people who help and support each other
Closely joined or organized so the parts form a strong whole
Antonyms
How Close
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'closely and firmly integrated' is directly compositional from 'tightly' (in a closely packed or secure manner) modifying 'knit' (to join closely together). This is a regular adjective phrase with clear cross-linguistic equivalents, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Tightly knit comes from the image of knitting: when threads are tight and knit they form a strong, close fabric. So a 'tightly knit' group means people are held close and support each other.