Closely Meaning
Closely Definition & Usage
In a manner that is near or at short distance from something or someone, typically implying attentiveness or care.
Examples
- "He looked closely at the painting to appreciate its fine details."
- "The teacher stood closely behind the students as they worked on their assignments."
- "She leaned closely to the microphone, ensuring her voice was heard clearly."
- "The detective observed the suspect closely, watching for any sign of nervousness."
- "The animals huddled closely together to keep warm during the storm."
With great attention or detail, often to understand something fully or to avoid mistakes.
Examples
- "She studied the instructions closely before attempting the experiment."
- "The researchers examined the data closely to find any errors."
- "He listened closely to the interview, hanging on every word."
- "The surgeon operated closely on the patient, taking extreme care to avoid complications."
- "The company reviewed the contract closely to ensure all terms were clear."
In a way that suggests a high degree of similarity or likeness to something else.
Examples
- "Her style of cooking closely resembles her grandmother's."
- "The new policy closely mirrors the one enacted in 1995."
- "The two paintings are closely related in terms of color and brushwork."
- "His argument closely follows the logic of his previous one."
- "The two products are closely comparable in quality and price."
Cultural Context
The adverb 'closely' has been in use since Old English, with a variety of meanings related to proximity, scrutiny, and similarity. Its flexibility makes it suitable for many contexts, ranging from physical closeness to intellectual attention or comparison. The word is frequently used in both formal and informal contexts, especially in academic, scientific, and professional settings.
The Closer You Look
Story
The Closer You Look
Samantha had always been meticulous, a trait she inherited from her grandmother. As a young child, she would often follow her grandmother around the garden, watching how each plant was cared for with precision. Now, as an adult, Samantha had taken that same careful attention to detail into her career as a conservator at the city's art museum. She had spent the entire afternoon examining a centuries-old painting that had recently arrived for restoration. The cracks in the canvas were subtle, almost invisible to the untrained eye, but to Samantha, they stood out clearly. She leaned closely to the artwork, magnifying glass in hand, tracing the delicate brushstrokes that had survived the passage of time. Later that evening, she met her colleague, Paul, at the local coffee shop. He had been working on a similar restoration project, but with a different style of art. As they discussed their work, Samantha found herself leaning in closely, eager to hear every detail of Paul's approach. Their professional bond had developed closely over the years, and despite their differing specialties, their shared dedication to their craft made their conversations incredibly enriching. Over the next few days, Samantha continued to inspect the painting closely, every day discovering something new. The more she looked, the more she was struck by how closely it resembled another painting in the museum’s collection, something she had seen during her first year on the job. 'I have to compare these two closely,' she thought to herself, eager to uncover the connections between them. As Samantha spent more time on the project, she realized that the act of looking closely—whether at a painting or at the people around her—revealed far more than what appeared on the surface. The painting, much like Paul’s conversations, held layers of meaning that could only be appreciated by paying close attention. In the end, it wasn’t just the artwork that required scrutiny; it was also the relationships and the world around her that demanded the same careful attention.
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