align closely

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "align closely" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when you want to describe someone or something coming into close agreement with another person or thing. For example, "The two sides worked hard to align closely on a consensus agreement."

✓ Grammatically correct

Academia

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

The demographics of military veterans align closely with Trump's strongest sources of support.

The Washington Post

In order to align closely with industry practices, we choose to represent the rationale-based architecture model in UML.

Journal of Systems and Software

However, options that don't align closely with a company's core businesses can be hard to preserve in tough times.

Harvard Business Review

What if you're talking to someone who isn't going to reciprocate the contact, or whose interests turn out not to align closely with yours?

Yale University

On Friday, Mr. Schwarzenegger, a Republican whose positions on consumer issues often align closely with those of Democrats who control the Legislature, praised the new statute, which the lawmakers passed last week.

The New York Times

Mr. Trump's remarks, which he made during an interview with The Washington Post, align closely with arguments long advanced by supporters of voter identification laws, including Republican governors and state legislators.

The New York Times

The nomination of CIA Director Mike Pompeo as the next secretary of state encouraged Saudi and Emirati leaders, as he is known to be a policy hawk whose views on the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran align closely with their own.

The Washington Post

On the title pages, they are listed as drawings, not illustrations, reflecting the idea that they at times align closely with the content or can skew off in what Rea calls "oblique and hopefully compelling ways".

The New York Times

We believe that our methodology and ideology align closely with the goals set out by MIT EHS, and for this reason we are working together to identify opportunities that could help labs across campus find this success.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

His pro-business policies usually align closely with those of the firms he has worked with in his wide-ranging business career both before and after he joined Congress.

The New York Times

Lipid molecules made from unsaturated fatty acids on the other hand bear a kink in their chains, Min said, which makes it impossible for these lipid molecules to align closely with each other as saturated ones do.

Columbia University

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "align closely" to emphasize a strong degree of agreement or correspondence between two or more things. It's particularly useful when comparing concepts, strategies, or data points.

Common error

Be careful not to use "align closely" in situations where the alignment is already implied. For instance, instead of saying "The goals align closely with the objectives of the project, so they must "overlap" or "match".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "align closely" primarily functions as an adverbial phrase that modifies a verb, typically indicating the degree to which two or more things are in agreement or correspondence. As Ludwig AI confirms, it's a correct and usable English phrase. The provided examples in Ludwig illustrate its use across various contexts.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

35%

News & Media

30%

Academia

20%

Less common in

Formal & Business

10%

Wiki

5%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "align closely" is a grammatically sound and frequently employed expression used to describe a strong degree of agreement or correspondence between two or more things. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness and usability. As evidenced by the numerous examples, it appears across diverse contexts, including scientific research, news reporting, and academic discourse. While versatile, it's important to avoid redundancy and use it judiciously to highlight significant similarities. Alternatives such as "correspond closely", "match closely", and "harmonize closely" offer similar meanings, depending on the desired nuance. It has been classified with a neutral register and functions primarily as a verb modifier.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

correspond closely

Emphasizes a direct correlation or similarity.

match closely

Highlights the degree of agreement or equivalence.

coincide closely

Suggests that events or ideas occur at the same time or align in principle.

harmonize closely

Focuses on the agreement or compatibility of different elements.

resemble closely

Indicates a strong similarity in appearance or nature.

accord closely

Implies agreement or conformity.

conform closely

Highlights adherence to a standard or norm.

tally closely

Suggests that numerical values or amounts are in close agreement.

integrate seamlessly

Focuses on a smooth and harmonious combination.

dovetail neatly

Implies a perfect fit or correspondence.

FAQs

How can I use "align closely" in a sentence?

The phrase "align closely" is used to describe situations where two or more things correspond or agree with each other to a significant extent. For example, "The company's values align closely with its mission statement."

What are some alternatives to "align closely"?

Alternatives to "align closely" include "correspond closely", "match closely", or "harmonize closely". The best choice depends on the specific context and the nuance you wish to convey.

Is it better to say "align closely" or "closely align"?

"Align closely" is the more common and natural phrasing. While "closely align" isn't grammatically incorrect, it's less frequently used and can sound somewhat awkward.

What does it mean for two things to "align closely"?

When two things "align closely", it means they are in strong agreement, correspondence, or harmony. It suggests that their characteristics, goals, or principles are very similar.