as in hidden
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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
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Recent Examples of closeted
Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Feb. 2026
Series creator Sam Levinson remembered the actor, who played closeted patriarch Cal Jacobs on the HBO drama, sharing a statement with Deadline after Dane’s death on Thursday.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 19 Feb. 2026
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
In 2019, Dane costarred in Sam Levinson’s adaptation of the Israeli series Euphoria for HBO as Cal Jacobs, Jacob Elordi's closeted bisexual father, who has an affair with Hunter Schafer’s transgender character Jules Vaughan.
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Feb. 2026
Series creator Sam Levinson remembered the actor, who played closeted patriarch Cal Jacobs on the HBO drama, sharing a statement with Deadline after Dane’s death on Thursday.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 19 Feb. 2026
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
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While none of this amounts to conscious communication, the hidden network allows plants to share resources and information, helping forests survive as interconnected communities.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
30 Mar. 2026
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An office with a wood-burning fireplace and a hidden service kitchen are also located on this level.—
Demetrius Simms,
Robb Report,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The image appears to show the bottom of Orion's service module where its main engine and auxiliary thrusters are housed.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
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And, most people who are living on the street are actively trying to become housed.—
Benjamin F. Henwood,
The Conversation,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Tel Aviv, Israel — Undermining this moment of relief for many repressed Iranians is that killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is a perilously simple fix to a very complex problem.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
1 Mar. 2026
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And that probably comes from seeing women in my life who have been so repressed that the eyes become their only real means of communication.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Because this month’s layoffs are not confined to tech and spread across airlines, logistics, food production, healthcare, and more, the overall job market may be entering a recalibration period due to cost pressures and the rise of artificial intelligence.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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This cosmic expansion doesn’t actually consist of anything exceeding the speed of light, as the limits of special relativity (which limit speeds to a limit of the speed of light) are confined to two objects passing each other at the same location in space.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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What started as a personal endeavor evolved into something much larger.—
Zachary Bynum,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
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That’s great for personal reflection, but less ideal for being out and about with others.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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His entire right foot encased in ice, Foster bunny-hopped onto the dais, hobbling from ice foot to sneakered foot, to his seat.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 2026
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The primary suite is the crown jewel of the space—encased in a wall of glass that welcomes natural light at every angle from the living room just below.—
Kristin Braswell,
Architectural Digest,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Watch it for its skin-deep enticement, its powerful visual devices, but also its concealed malignancy.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Carroll had a nice try in the 62nd minute when a corner kick found Auns, surrounded in front of the goal.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Apr. 2026
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Nevertheless, you are surrounded by high energy that is keen to socialize.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Closeted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/closeted. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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