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
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Recent Examples of buttoned-up
Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2025
Most people on LinkedIn try to be professional, buttoned-up, and safe.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
Some are more buttoned-up, kind of a federal style.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 27 Feb. 2025
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
Adjective
Now that Kaya has been promoted to detective, Elsbeth’s patrol officer is Nikki Reynolds, who is more buttoned-up than Kaya but not quite as starchy as Lieutenant Connor.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2025
Most people on LinkedIn try to be professional, buttoned-up, and safe.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
Some are more buttoned-up, kind of a federal style.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 27 Feb. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for buttoned-up
Adjective
-
The property comes with a detached garage with a stylish glass garage door and a car charger.—
David Caraccio,
Sacbee.com,
29 Mar. 2025
-
The designation includes the original detached garage, pool and relevant landscape design elements.—
Ashley Mackin Solomon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
And while observatories in space and on the ground can give some clues about exoplanets, stars themselves are crucial to understanding these distant worlds.—
Elizabeth Landau,
Smithsonian Magazine,
19 Mar. 2025
-
And someday, our current limitations will also become remnants of distant tournament history.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
But the weather is expected to be cold and rainy in Chicago.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Mar. 2025
-
The nights are cold still, though bundling up is certainly an option.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
30 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Forty-seven tracks into Rush 50 — a new career-spanning anthology presenting 50 songs across nearly five hours — a cool sonic Easter egg arrives.—
Hank Shteamer,
Rolling Stone,
20 Mar. 2025
-
Levi’s never lose their cool factor, so these are a safe investment.—
Claudia Fisher,
Parents,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
My temperament is to be a little bit more reserved and private than hers.—
Lexy Perez,
The Hollywood Reporter,
25 Mar. 2025
-
Cartagena, Spain, won third prize for its assistance to people with disabilities bathing at popular beaches, and for reserved accessible seats at public events.—
Troy Aidan Sambajon,
The Christian Science Monitor,
25 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Buttoned-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buttoned-up. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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