Closely

//ˈkləʊsliː// adv

adv ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adverb

1
In a close manner.
"Finnish and Estonian are closely related languages."
2
secretly; privately obsolete
"That nought she did but wayle, and often steepe / Her dainty couch with tears which closely she did weepe."

Adverb

1
in a close relation or position in time or space wordnet
2
in a close manner wordnet
3
in an attentive manner wordnet

Synonyms

nearly a bit a little a little bit a mite a tad

Example

"You must read the textbook closely."

Etymology

From close + -ly.

Related phrases

More for "closely"

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.