CLOSETED Synonyms: 118 Similar and Opposite Words

closeted 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of closeted

as in hidden

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Dissimilar Words

closeted

2 of 2

verb

past tense of closet

as in housed

to close or shut in by or as if by barriers he closeted himself in his study, vowing not to emerge until he had finished the term paper

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of closeted

Adjective

The hosts and reps are wives and mothers too (or the gay best friends of wives and mothers, or at least the closeted neighbor of wives and mothers). — Hannah Engler Harvey, Longreads, 30 July 2026 On the show, Barone plays Grace, the perfectionist older sister of Benny’s closeted freshman, trapped in a relationship with a noxious fail-bro played by Adam DiMarco. — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 27 July 2026

Verb

At a time when most employees were closeted, a group of the company’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans employees came together to form the Lambda Network to reshape Kodak’s corporate culture and company policies. — Tamar Carroll, The Conversation, 18 June 2026 Hired as a Skyline security guard, Aaron is promoted to fixer, keeping himself and Skyline’s A-listers closeted by any means necessary. — Meredith Maran, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for closeted

Recent Examples of Synonyms for closeted

Adjective

Behind a vault door is a hidden passage leading to a former speakeasy.

— Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 18 Sep. 2026
The result is fabrics that give a rigid look with hidden stretch performance.

— Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of hidden

Verb

The police compound housed counterterrorism police, who had carried out operations against militants across the province in recent years.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
The backstory The hotel is housed in a 19th-century grand palazzo that was previously a transport company headquarters.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of housed

Adjective

At 53 years old, Feng Xia, a Chinese immigrant in Montreal, finally confronts her repressed desire for women and begins a secret affair with a young Québécoise.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 Sep. 2026
The book covers 25 cases from Law & Order and its spinoffs’ most popular episodes, from how a woman’s repressed memory led to solving a 30-year-old cold case to the high-profile investigation of millionaire Robert Durst.

— Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of repressed

Verb

The term, once confined to technical science papers, has gripped Silicon Valley, steered trillions of dollars in investment and fanned fears of human displacement, or worse.

— George Musser, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2026
The two factors, as well as him being confined within the Disney walls for the past two years, led to Schrier’s decision to take on a new chapter as a producer.

— Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of confined

Adjective

Alas, poor Bryan is about to learn the hard way that change — as the saying goes — is as hard to outrun as an ever-growing zombie rat king with 37 different limbs and a weirdly personal vendetta.

— David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 16 Sep. 2026
In 1981, Soviet spy Vladimir Kuzichkin offered up critical insider information on Iran’s Tudeh Party to Britain’s MI6 in exchange for discreet assistance with a personal affliction that was at the heart of his marital troubles.

— Mary Lawrence Ware, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of personal

Verb

At each of the crash sites, the search for the cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders – encased in orange metal, though often called black boxes – from the hijacked planes was underway.

— Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026
Set on the edge of the Village of Lindos, the heavenly parcel and its glass-like waters are nearly encased by rocks with stretches of smooth sand on either side.

— Jennifer Tzeses, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of encased

Verb

Lenin and Trotsky believed that their Bolshevik Revolution would succeed only when the Soviet Union was surrounded by other Communist states.

— Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2026
Leary said that once the riders were surrounded on the bridge, police took them into custody without incident.

— Assistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of surrounded

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Style

“Closeted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/closeted. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of closeted

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

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