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
Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 30 Mar. 2025
The Las Vegas Stubborn Seed, with its industrial-chic Miami roots, is a restaurant that’s polished but not too polished, an upscale spot that has purposefully chosen to be loose instead of buttoned-up.
—Andy Wang, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
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
Adjective
Gail Baines is buttoned-up, repressed school administrator who struggles to connect to people, including her co-workers, her daughter Debbie, and her ex-husband, Max.
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 30 Mar. 2025
The Las Vegas Stubborn Seed, with its industrial-chic Miami roots, is a restaurant that’s polished but not too polished, an upscale spot that has purposefully chosen to be loose instead of buttoned-up.
—Andy Wang, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for buttoned-up
Adjective
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In addition to the main floor porch, the property has a large detached deck close to shore for waterside entertaining. Take a look around...—
Audrey Kennedy,
Axios,
17 Jan. 2025
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The property comes with a detached garage with a stylish glass garage door and a car charger.—
David Caraccio,
Sacbee.com,
29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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To be clear: The consumer version of a psychiatric BCI like Inner Cosmos’ Digital Pill may be just as distant or hypothetical as any other BCI.—
Naveen Rao,
Forbes.com,
2 Apr. 2025
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Placing in a distant second was Trump Jr., with 12%.—
Brendan Rascius,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Lopez has been seen out in New York a lot lately, and while the weather has been cold for spring, there’s still a lot going on for her, especially in the theatre world.—
Aamina Inayat Khan,
StyleCaster,
9 Apr. 2025
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This oral rinse provides relief from tooth pain and discomfort triggered by cold, heat, acids, sweets or contact.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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If the planet becomes cool enough and hydrogen and water separate early in its evolution, Gupta says a supercritical layer of water could form beneath the hydrogen atmosphere — thereby shedding new light on how planets with liquid water oceans could exist.—
Victoria Corless,
Space.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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April 7, 2025 No word on whether Sanders made that call to Kathy Sudeikis, but that would be a pretty cool connection.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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At the start of episode 8, Cara, a reserved 29-year-old In-N-Out worker, had the cash in her box, while her bestie Samantha, a 41-year-old cop pretending to be a stay-at-home mom, had a clue that the secret millionaire was someone with two sisters.—
Jillian Sederholm,
EW.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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Without trust, teams experience: • Communication Breakdowns: Team members become reserved and hesitant to provide feedback or voice concerns.—
Dr. Jennifer Bryant,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Buttoned-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buttoned-up. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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