proximity
noun
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The fact that the star closest in proximity to our sun (approximately 4.2 light-years distant) is named Proxima Centauri is no coincidence. The history of proximity hinges on the idea of closeness, both physical and metaphorical. English speakers borrowed the word from Middle French, which in turn acquired it from forms of the Latin adjective proximus, meaning "nearest" or "next." Close relatives of proximity in English include proximal, proximate, and the somewhat more rare approximal (meaning "contiguous"). A number of other languages, including Catalan, Portuguese, and Italian, have similar words that come from the Latin proximus.
Examples of proximity in a Sentence
Sarah Travers, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
The National Transportation Safety Board said all of the data that shows the regular near misses and close proximity events at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) was publicly available data.
—Sam Sweeney, ABC News, 27 Mar. 2025
Their proximity to the net was another piece of the losing puzzle.
—Omar White, The Athletic, 23 Mar. 2025
Why are allergies so bad in Sacramento? Sacramento’s status as one of the worst places in the country for seasonal allergy sufferers stems in part from its location in a valley and its proximity to a rich agricultural region, according to Parikh.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacramento Bee, 22 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for proximity
Cite this Entry
“Proximity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proximity. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
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