closeted

[ kloz-i-tid ]

/ ˈklɒz ɪ tɪd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR closeted ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

functioning in private; secret; closet.

Nearby words

closeout, closer, closet, closet drama, closet queen, closeted, closetful, closeup, closing, closing costs, closing error

Origin of closeted

First recorded in 1675–85; closet + -ed²

Related forms

un·clos·et·ed, adjective

Definition for closeted (2 of 2)

closet

[ kloz-it ]

/ ˈklɒz ɪt /

noun

a small room, enclosed recess, or cabinet for storing clothing, food, utensils, etc.

a small private room, especially one used for prayer, meditation, etc.

a state or condition of secrecy or carefully guarded privacy: Some conservatives remain in the closet except on election day. Gay liberation has encouraged many gay people to come out of the closet.

water closet.

adjective

private; secluded.

suited for use or enjoyment in privacy: closet reflections; closet prayer.

engaged in private study or speculation; speculative; unpractical: a closet thinker with no practical experience.

being or functioning as such in private; secret: a closet anarchist.

verb (used with object)

to shut up in a private room for a conference, interview, etc. (usually used in the passive voice): The secretary of state was closeted with the senator for three hours in a tense session.

Origin of closet

1300–50; Middle English < Anglo-French, Middle French, equivalent to clos close (noun) + -et -et

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for closeted

He is expected to spend the next few days closeted with lawyers and advisers at his home, Royal Lodge, in Windsor Great Park.
From Playboy Prince to Dirty Old Man?|Tom Sykes|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
When Tonie Tobias started at Delta in 1996 she was shy and closeted.
How A Company’s Support of Gay Employees Helped One of Them To Come Out||December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Flagrant anti-Semitism fell out of favor and was replaced by a closeted, unspoken bigotry.
Superman Is Jewish: The Hebrew Roots of America's Greatest Superhero|Rich Goldstein|August 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That is, until he was cast as a closeted Wall Street banker in HBO's The Normal Heart.
Taylor Kitsch on ‘The Normal Heart,’ Homophobic Right-Wingers, and Gays in the Military|Marlow Stern|May 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

How will current, closeted NFL players feel about this in the coming months?
Will Today’s Closeted NFL Stars Let Michael Sam Be the First Out Player?|Evin Demirel|February 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The next day he was closeted with the ticker-King at Thirty, Broad.
The President|Alfred Henry Lewis
"I'm no hand at breaking things gently, Field," said Ray, when finally the three were closeted together in the captain's den.
A Daughter of the Sioux|Charles King
In due time the Senator was closeted with some kind of deputy third-assistant battery-horse in the offices of the War Department.
Wounds in the rain|Stephen Crane
Accordingly, the very next day, he proceeded to Washington, and was closeted with me for several hours.
The Spy of the Rebellion|Allan Pinkerton
He had been closeted with the Secret Service officials, who considered the matter of the gravest importance.
Molly Brown's College Friends|Nell Speed

British Dictionary definitions for closeted

closet

/ (ˈklɒzɪt) /

noun

a small cupboard or recess

a small private room

short for water closet

(modifier) private or secret

(modifier) suited or appropriate for use in privatecloset meditations

(modifier) US and Canadian based on or devoted to theory; speculativea closet strategist

verb -ets, -eting or -eted

(tr) to shut up or confine in a small private room, esp for conference or meditation

Word Origin for closet

C14: from Old French, from clos enclosure; see close 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with closeted

closet

see come out of the closet; skeleton in the closet.

closeted

adjective

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of closeted

Related forms

Definition for closeted (2 of 2)

closet

noun

adjective

verb (used with object)

Origin of closet

Examples from the Web for closeted

British Dictionary definitions for closeted

closet

noun

verb -ets, -eting or -eted

Word Origin for closet

Idioms and Phrases with closeted

closet