as in hidden
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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
Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
In the 80-minute play, Dold brings to life 19 characters and believably portrays not only Philip and Harry, but is father and mother, a closeted boyfriend, the boyfriend’s folk-singing sister and their parents, and some others along the way – each are distinct.
—Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2025
Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Or perhaps the speaker could recognize that a cousin at the table may be closeted, and take it upon themselves to model how to push back against transphobia.
—Lee Bebout, The Conversation, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for closeted
Adjective
Set in 1990, the show follows a closeted teenager named Cameron Cope (Miles Heizer), who impulsively joins the Marines to follow his enlisting best friend, despite the ban on gay people in the military.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
In the 80-minute play, Dold brings to life 19 characters and believably portrays not only Philip and Harry, but is father and mother, a closeted boyfriend, the boyfriend’s folk-singing sister and their parents, and some others along the way – each are distinct.
—Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
Dale, who was closeted at the time of his death, leaves behind notes stashed inside his treasured first-edition books hinting that his wife (Jeanne Tripplehorn) may have had something to do with his ostensible suicide.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Or perhaps the speaker could recognize that a cousin at the table may be closeted, and take it upon themselves to model how to push back against transphobia.
—Lee Bebout, The Conversation, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for closeted
Recent Examples of Synonyms for closeted
Adjective
-
Fans have been tearing the new Springfield Island map apart to unearth Easter eggs and hidden gags, including a full dissection of the notorious wonky house that the family inhabits.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
5 Nov. 2025
-
On a hidden floor in an old hotel in the Alps, Nazi Germany is still alive in The Secret Floor (Das geheime Stockwerk), a time-travel adventure film for the whole family that wants to help children learn about the dark past.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The results of his project comprise the Heinz Gaube Lebanese Architectural Photographs Collection, housed at Notre Dame University-Louaize (NDU) and available via JSTOR.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
25 Oct. 2025
-
The wing traditionally served as the office of the First Lady, and previously housed a portico as well as a colonnade that led to the Executive Residence.—
Lisa Respers France,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In Coldwater, Walking Dead star Lincoln returns to British screens as a repressed man who moves to a backwater Scottish village and strikes up a friendship with his next door neighbor Tommy (Ewen Bremner).—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Like Freud’s return of the repressed.—
Lucinda Rosenfeld,
New Yorker,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Following the July announcement, speculation was rampant regarding CBS’s decision and it was not confined to Reddit threads and other areas of online discourse.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Being confined to the sideline is something else entirely.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Rather than rob the story of its teeth, this enabled me to explore the pain, loneliness and personal demons of my characters with sympathy rather than stinging bite.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Her Instagram page shows her artwork and things that inspire her in New York City and around the world but little personal information.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Napoli said dueling dinosaurs, which is still partially encased in rock, has many more secrets to spill.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
-
In another experiment, the researchers encased their artificial muscle material in a biodegradable capsule and inserted it into a pig bladder.—
Elie Dolgin,
IEEE Spectrum,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Watch it for its skin-deep enticement, its powerful visual devices, but also its concealed malignancy.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Tucked away in the lowlands of the Adirondacks, a few miles south of Lake George, Saratoga Springs, New York, is surrounded by some of the most striking landscapes in all of Upstate.—
Cat Sposato,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Nov. 2025
-
The former politician and businessman died while surrounded by family at age 84, his relatives reported.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Closeted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/closeted. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share