as in mystery
something hard to understand or explain
the couple's unorthodox marriage is definitely a closed book to those outside of the relationship
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Recent Examples of closed book
Simply looking at the closed book won't spoil anything.
—
Sam MacHkovech, Ars Technica, 19 Sep. 2022
Alex Steel, the director of teaching strategy and a professor of law at the University of New South Wales, said a number of universities across Australia have announced a move back to closed book exams.
—Samantha Murphy Kelly, CNN, 19 Jan. 2023
And there’s reason to believe that Kirchick sees this history as a closed book, a chapter that now belongs to the past.
—Samuel Clowes Huneke, The New Republic, 8 June 2022
Readings of Alwyn as a closed book could be down to him being interviewed by people who aren’t used to encountering his English sensibility.
—Louis Staples, Harper's BAZAAR, 17 May 2022
Tightly gathered, accordion-like pastry sheets fold neatly onto themselves, resembling the edge of a closed book.
—Vivian Song, Robb Report, 1 June 2021
Sam MacHkovech, Ars Technica, 19 Sep. 2022
Alex Steel, the director of teaching strategy and a professor of law at the University of New South Wales, said a number of universities across Australia have announced a move back to closed book exams.
—Samantha Murphy Kelly, CNN, 19 Jan. 2023
And there’s reason to believe that Kirchick sees this history as a closed book, a chapter that now belongs to the past.
—Samuel Clowes Huneke, The New Republic, 8 June 2022
Readings of Alwyn as a closed book could be down to him being interviewed by people who aren’t used to encountering his English sensibility.
—Louis Staples, Harper's BAZAAR, 17 May 2022
Tightly gathered, accordion-like pastry sheets fold neatly onto themselves, resembling the edge of a closed book.
—Vivian Song, Robb Report, 1 June 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for closed book
mystery
Noun
-
Ray is an enigma and a mystery, a man who zips into town on a motorbike like a phantom and could just as easily evaporate at any minute.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
18 May 2025
-
The identity of the man in the photo remained a mystery to the outside world until USA TODAY sought clarification from federal officials.—
Rick Jervis,
USA Today,
18 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Closed book.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/closed%20book. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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