1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

closeted 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of closetednext
as in hidden

Related Words

Relevance

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
An erotic thriller that captures the dying charm of Thailand’s stand-alone cinemas which also serve as cruising sites for closeted gay men. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2026 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
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
  1. hidden
  2. housed
  3. repressed
  4. confined
  5. personal
  6. encased
  7. concealed
  8. surrounded
Adjective
  • The Libra Sun opposes Neptune across your private and daily-life zones, making vague stress, unfinished business, or hidden responsibilities harder to define.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The kids found their own rhythms of exploration, local spots, hidden beaches, and the particular pleasure of discovering somewhere that wasn't on any list.
    — Jordi Lippe-McGraw, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of hidden
Verb
  • This will give you an opportunity to notice what should be housed elsewhere.
    — Natalia Gonzalez Blanco Serrano, The Spruce, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Instead, the agency housed an average of 16 detainees daily there this year, at a cost of millions of dollars, the report found.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of housed
Adjective
  • While Calvinism, weaving, deeply repressed sexuality, and passages in Scottish Gaelic don’t exactly sound like the ingredient list for a riot, Stuart builds a rich universe from these seemingly spartan forms.
    — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Pavese situated the story of his time in much longer cycles than the ventennio of Fascism, which, as contemporary history attests, wasn’t so much defeated as repressed.
    — Max Norman, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of repressed
Verb
  • Other victims testified that they were confined in a windowless room under the floorboards of Said's office.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Kari was confined to a wheelchair and had to have her gall bladder removed.
    — Marlow Stern, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of confined
Adjective
  • The announcements came at Meta Connect 2026 as the company continues shifting its wearable strategy toward glasses and its personal AI agent, Muse.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Complimentary fitness classes, one-on-one personal training, nutrition consults, Pilates, breathing classes, and flow yoga are among many other options.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of personal
Verb
  • Monticello’s storage areas yielded several samples of Jefferson’s hair encased in gold lockets, glass ampules, and the packet assembled by Nicholas Trist.
    — Andrew Lawler, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The shoes are known for their satin almond toe design, which features a square crystal buckle encased in a gunmetal frame.
    — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of encased
Adjective
  • Retractable or concealed handles now appear on cars from American, European, Korean and Chinese manufacturers.
    — Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • In another instance, investigators identified a gray button on a test-taker's shirt as a concealed camera.
    — Ivan Taylor, CBS News, 25 June 2026
Definition of concealed
Verb
  • Silly, witty, and sociable, the duo moved to Durham Cottage in London, where there were happy days surrounded by everyone from John Gielgud to Graham Greene, Orson Welles, John and Mary Mills, Noël Coward, and William Wyler.
    — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Her work surrounded them, and her studio, the grandest space in the house, stood open just beyond the living room.
    — Tara Anne Dalbow, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of surrounded

Browse Nearby Words

closet
closeted
closeting
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Closeted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/closeted. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All