buttoned-up
adjective
but·toned-up
ˈbə-tᵊnd-ˈəp 
: coldly reserved or standoffish
a buttoned-up executive
Synonyms
Examples of buttoned-up in a Sentence
a buttoned-up colleague who had no interest in talking about anything but work, even at parties
Recent Examples on the Web
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
But Robert keeps his own secrets close to the vest, or, rather, his buttoned-up Palm Royale bartending uniform.
—Fawnia Soo Hoo, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 June 2024
Brie, accustomed to playing buttoned-up Type-A characters, has a lot of fun with Amy's hippie-dippie aesthetic.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2024
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
But Robert keeps his own secrets close to the vest, or, rather, his buttoned-up Palm Royale bartending uniform.
—Fawnia Soo Hoo, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 June 2024
Brie, accustomed to playing buttoned-up Type-A characters, has a lot of fun with Amy's hippie-dippie aesthetic.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'buttoned-up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Buttoned-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buttoned-up. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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