English

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Etymology

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From close +‎ -ly.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈkləʊsliː/
  • Audio (US):(file)

Adverb

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closely (comparative closelier or more closely, superlative closeliest or most closely)

  1. In a close manner.
    Finnish and Estonian are closely related languages.
    The borderline between East and West Berlin was very closely guarded.
    The chairs are too closely spaced; could you move them apart?
    • 2012 April 29, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “Treehouse of Horror III” (season 4, episode 5; originally aired 10/29/1992)”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)[1]:
      “King Homer” follows the story of King Kong closely, with Mr. Burns taking the freakishly over-sized King Homer from his native Africa, where he lives proud as a simian god, to the United States, where he is an initially impressive but ultimately rather limited Broadway attraction.
  2. (obsolete) secretly; privately

Derived terms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Anagrams

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