Meaning & use
closely knit
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Meaning
adjectivebefore a noun
Having strong, close relationships among members of a group, especially a family or community.
Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: 'a closely knit community'. It is not used after a verb like 'be' in this exact form.
Patterns
- a closely knit family
- a closely knit community
- closely knit group
They grew up in a closely knit family where everyone helped each other.
The village is a closely knit community, and everyone knows everyone else.
The team became closely knit after working together for many years.
Common combinations
- a closely knit family
- She comes from a closely knit family that meets every Sunday.
- a closely knit community
- The disaster brought the closely knit community even closer together.
- a closely knit group
- The research group was closely knit and shared all their findings.
- become closely knit
- Over time, the neighbors became closely knit and looked after each other's children.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tight-knit
- This is a very common synonym and is often used in the same contexts; 'closely knit' may sound slightly more formal or literary.
- close
- This is more general and can describe a single relationship, while 'closely knit' describes the whole group.
Opposites
Word family
- knit verb
- To join together or make something by connecting threads or people.
Commonly confused: closely knit or close-knit?
closely knit vs close-knit
This is a variant spelling; both 'close-knit' and 'closely knit' are correct and mean the same thing.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'closely knit' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Closely knit' describes a group with strong relationships and usually comes before a noun. Option 1 uses it as a verb phrase, option 2 uses it as a noun, and option 3 uses it incorrectly after a verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “closely knit”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.