veiled

American  

[veyld] / veɪld /

adjective

1. having a veil.

   a veiled hat.

2. covered or concealed by, or as if by, a veil.

   a veiled woman.

3. not openly or directly expressed; masked; disguised; hidden; obscure.

   a veiled threat.

4. lacking clarity or distinctness.

   veiled sounds; a veiled image.

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veiled British  

/ veɪld, ˈveɪlɪdlɪ /

adjective

1. disguised

   a veiled insult

2. (of sound, tone, the voice, etc) not distinct; muffled

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Other Word Forms

• half-veiled adjective
• veiledly adverb
• well-veiled adjective

Etymology

Origin of veiled

First recorded in 1585–95; veil + -ed ³

Example Sentences

But for every poorly aged joke, there’s a gag or a bit of veiled social commentary that’s surprisingly progressive for its time.

From Salon • Apr. 18, 2026

Defa Press, which is affiliated with Iran’s Defense Ministry, published a recruitment poster featuring a teenage boy and a veiled girl, both smiling.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Some viewers see it as a thinly veiled endorsement of the policy - hailed in the film as a crippling masterstroke to weed out fake currency from Pakistan.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

It may be tempting to say what you’ll do if you don’t get results, with veiled threats of one kind or another, but consumer experts suggest it’s best not to go too far.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 10, 2026

The windows gleamed like beaten gold or silver, but now John saw, in the yellow light, how fine dust veiled their doubtful glory.

From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin

Related Words

• cloaked
• concealed