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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

close to home en · ADV

Pronunciation

Meanings

  1. (idiomatic) Affecting people close to, or within, one's family circle.
  2. (figuratively) Affecting one personally through deep familiarity.
    • […] when you laugh about people who feel so very lonely / […] I wish I could laugh / but that joke isn't funny anymore / it's too close to home / and it's too near the bone 1985, Johnny Marr, Morrissey, “That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore”, in Meat is Murder, performed by The Smiths:
    • to hit close to home
    • Watching another icon's anguished passing was evidently far too close to home for him to comfortably endure. 2006 April 15, Nick Kent, “What a drag”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
    • Friends warned me against watching Baby Reindeer, the hit Netflix series about the comedian Richard Gadd and “Martha”, the character based on his alleged real-life stalker. It was too close to home, they said. 2024 May 14, Paul Burston, “Should Baby Reindeer’s creator have written about his alleged stalker? I did the same thing – and it helped me heal”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
    • Smiling, Pichai said he never watched the popular show [Silicon Valley]. “Too close to home,” he remarked. “You watch TV to relax.” 2022 September 7, Jennifer Elias, quoting Sundar Pichai, “Google CEO says he hopes to make company 20% more efficient, hints at potential cuts”, in CNBC:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
closest to home Degree=Sup lexicographic
closer to home Degree=Cmp lexicographic