as in detached
having or showing a lack of friendliness or interest in others
a buttoned-up colleague who had no interest in talking about anything but work, even at parties
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of buttoned-up
Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 25 Jan. 2025
Use it as a layering piece or wear it buttoned-up on its own.
—Melanie Fincher, Southern Living, 29 Nov. 2024
The Bottom Line The era of buttoned-up, corporate talk is over.
—Lindsey Groepper, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024
Based on Nick Payne’s screenplay, the nonlinear love story follows the buttoned-up Tobias (Garfield) and the spunky Almut (Florence Pugh) over the course of a decade-long relationship that is, suffice it to say, filled with both high highs and extremely low lows.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 10 Oct. 2024
The button-down shirt Pop the collar, roll up the sleeves, wear it loose or completely buttoned-up—a relaxed button-down shirt is an easygoing layer that adds instant polish to jeans and sequin skirts.
—Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 9 Aug. 2024
Lawyer shows are usually buttoned-up and serious, but this show was as focused on office gossip and the characters' personal lives as the details of their legal cases.
—Christian Holub, EW.com, 17 July 2024
In Funny Story, buttoned-up Daphne loves her relationship with her fiancé Peter.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 9 July 2024
At that time, everything was very buttoned-up and safe in theater.
—Nicole Acheampong, New York Times, 26 June 2024
Adjective
Compared with Sanchez’s getup, the buttoned-up Adam Lippes coat and wide-brimmed Eric Javits hat worn by Melania Trump to the Inauguration were tasteful, even demure.
—Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 25 Jan. 2025
Use it as a layering piece or wear it buttoned-up on its own.
—Melanie Fincher, Southern Living, 29 Nov. 2024
The Bottom Line The era of buttoned-up, corporate talk is over.
—Lindsey Groepper, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024
Based on Nick Payne’s screenplay, the nonlinear love story follows the buttoned-up Tobias (Garfield) and the spunky Almut (Florence Pugh) over the course of a decade-long relationship that is, suffice it to say, filled with both high highs and extremely low lows.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 10 Oct. 2024
The button-down shirt Pop the collar, roll up the sleeves, wear it loose or completely buttoned-up—a relaxed button-down shirt is an easygoing layer that adds instant polish to jeans and sequin skirts.
—Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 9 Aug. 2024
Lawyer shows are usually buttoned-up and serious, but this show was as focused on office gossip and the characters' personal lives as the details of their legal cases.
—Christian Holub, EW.com, 17 July 2024
In Funny Story, buttoned-up Daphne loves her relationship with her fiancé Peter.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 9 July 2024
At that time, everything was very buttoned-up and safe in theater.
—Nicole Acheampong, New York Times, 26 June 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for buttoned-up
Adjective
-
Remove anything flammable from within a 5 feet perimeter of your home and any detached buildings, such as dry leaves and pine needles.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA TODAY,
12 Jan. 2025
-
But the detached garage and a guest cottage were destroyed, as were all but three or four of the 20 or so houses on their block near the Altadena Golf Course.—
Steve Lopez,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
That 12-game goal drought earlier this season seems like a distant memory.—
Phil Thompson,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Jan. 2025
-
In the not too distant past, soda options were fairly streamlined: cola, orange, or root beer; regular or diet.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
31 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
But Posey’s first significant trade as president of baseball operations required a bit of a cold touch.—
Andrew Baggarly,
The Athletic,
30 Jan. 2025
-
Humpback whales have been known to swim 5,000 miles from tropical grounds to colder grounds for more productive feedings and usually eat small fish, straining huge amounts of water on their baleen plates, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.—
Paloma Chavez,
Sacramento Bee,
29 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Health inspectors found a carton of cigarettes on top of a cooler next to a walk-in freezer.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacramento Bee,
31 Jan. 2025
-
Intermountain: Idaho, Nevada, Utah, parts of Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming and New Mexico Temperatures will be warmer than normal in April (4 degrees Fahrenheit above average), but cooler than normal in May (3 degrees Fahrenheit below average).—
Mike Snider,
USA TODAY,
31 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Tickets are $20 for reserved seating, $20 for general admission, $15 for students.—
Post-Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Jan. 2025
-
Nestle the cauliflower in the sauce, then sprinkle with the reserved onion, the cilantro, and almonds.—
Joe Yonan,
Saveur,
23 Jan. 2025
Articles Related to buttoned-up
Thesaurus Entries Near buttoned-up
Cite this Entry
“Buttoned-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buttoned-up. Accessed 5 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share