too close for comfort
too close for comfort
Meaning
- to be very close to something dangerous or unwelcoming
- dangerously or uncomfortably near
- to be so near to you that you feel anxious or scared
- close enough to make somebody feel anxious, nervous, or troubled
Example Sentences
- She was standing on the edge of a cliff in the photo, too close for comfort.
- The South-Hall Organisation will have to revise its policies; the latest survey results are too close for comfort.
- While we were swimming, the shark came a little too close for comfort.
- I felt the rush of air as the arrow passed by my ear, far too close for comfort.
- A family in Greenwood caught a grizzly bear on camera that came a little too close for comfort.
- A recent robbery near her father’s home was too close for comfort.
- The concert ended up nearly getting violent when fans got a little too close for comfort.
Origin
The phrase was likely to be originated in the early 1800s, and its earliest printed record appeared in The New Monthly Magazine and Literary Journal, United Kingdom, 1814 that reads:
“On one side was Heaven, and then on the other Hell – well railed off from each other certainly, but rather too close for any comfort.”
Share your thoughts1 Thought
I often feel most people lack boundaries and that's when misunderstandings occur because people get "too close for comfort" and heavily rely on others for validation.
- Cynthia Wilson-Hatton March 12, 2021