DictionaryAI

closeted

KLAH-zit-id/ˈklɑzɪtɪd/UKKLO-zit-id/ˈklɒzɪtɪd/

5 meanings of closeted

Practice

  1. 1
    adjectivecolloquial
    Keeping your sexual or gender identity hidden from other people.

    Like keeping a big secret locked away in a box so no one can see it.

    He stayed closeted at work for years, afraid of how coworkers would react.

    Many closeted teens feel alone until they find friends who accept them.

    Oppositeout, open

    Note
  2. 2
    adjective
    Hidden or kept secret, like a hobby or belief you don't tell others about.

    Like hiding a favorite toy so nobody knows you still play with it.

    He was a closeted fan of pop music, hiding his playlists from his friends.

    She kept her love of cartoons closeted, watching them only late at night.

    Similarsecret, hidden, covert, private

    Oppositeopen, avowed, overt

    Note
  3. 3
    adjective
    Shut up inside a small, closed space, away from everyone else.

    Like being shut inside a tiny room with the door closed tight.

    The cat stayed closeted in the bedroom all afternoon.

    He was closeted in the office, working alone until midnight.

    Similarcloistered, secluded, sequestered, confined

    Note
  4. 4
    verb
    Past tense and past participle of closet. Use it for the past, or after has, have or had.

    They closeted themselves in the back room to discuss the plan.

    She closeted the papers in a hidden drawer before anyone arrived.

    Note
  5. 5
    adjective
    Kept safe and away from the troubles of the wider world.

    Like a plant kept indoors, safe from wind and cold.

    The children led a closeted life, safe from the dangers outside.

    She felt too closeted, never allowed to face the real world.

    Similarsheltered, protected, cloistered, cocooned, insulated

    Oppositeexposed

    Note

closeted is a form of closet

closet, verb: To take someone into a private room to talk without other people listening. Full entry

Forms
closetclosets he/she/itcloseting -ing formcloseted past tense, past participle
Spelling
closet → closeted: add -ed
Sound
The ending sounds like /ɪd/, an extra syllable.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of closeted apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From the word "closet" (meaning a state of hiding) plus "-ed".