Close Proximity

During the past month, I have heard this phrase, or seen in writing, many times. It is often used to refer to the social distancing orders or protests of such orders. And I have heard it from TV analysts as well as seen it written hundreds of times in social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). And every time I see it, it raises the hairs on the back of my neck.

What’s Wrong With Close Proximity?

There’s nothing wrong with ‘proximity’ and there’s nothing wrong with ‘close.’ The problem is using them together.

Many people don’t see it as a problem as evidenced by the fact that it is so frequently heard, but the other side of that coin is that many others do see it as a problem.

Proximity means close or near, so there’s no need to say close proximity. Proximity will suffice.

Let’s look at a couple of definitions:

Merriam-Webster’s lists it as:

the quality or state of being proximate, next, or very near (as in time, place, relationship)

Word Book has this to say:

the property of being close together

From Longman
prox‧im‧i‧ty

nearness in distance or time:
proximity to:
We chose the house for its proximity to the school.
proximity of:
the proximity of the Bahamas to the States.
Here the rich and the poor live in close proximity (=very near to each other).

As you can see from the above, Longman Dictionary is okay with using ‘close’ and proximity together, at least in some cases, but I don’t agree with that decision.

You might ask who the hell I am to disagree, and you’d be justified. Not only that, you’d have resources to back you up. Consider this Ngram showing the most often-used words preceding proximity. 

How to Fix the Issue

If you want to say something is close or near to something else, proximity is a good word to use; you don’t need close proximity. Using close does not change the meaning. It doesn’t make it seem closer. If it does, it’s only in your mind. If you want to express something without using proximity, then get specific. It was three feet away from me or She was close enough to feel her breath on my cheeks. When you do that, you’re painting a specific image that anyone can imagine.

There is a tendency among many people to use superlatives, redundancies, and other words to help explain things and usually those words aren’t necessary. There is almost always an appropriate word to use, you simply have to have the confidence to use it.

For the easiest-to-understand advice on grammar and style, check out my book Simply Put: The Plain English Grammar Guide.