closeted
- 1
- 2Hidden 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
Note
- 3Shut 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
- 4Past 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
- 5Kept 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
Showing meanings only.
closeted is a form of closet
closet, verb: To take someone into a private room to talk without other people listening. Full entry
- Spelling
- closet → closeted: add -ed
- Sound
- The ending sounds like /ɪd/, an extra syllable.
Practice
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Origin
From the word "closet" (meaning a state of hiding) plus "-ed".