Meanings
prepositional phrase
- colloquialNot open about one's sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity.
Was he in control of that narrative? Most likely not. If he’d had the choice, he would have stayed in the closet.
2023 October 6, Ryan Gilbey, “The double life of Rock Hudson: ‘Let’s be frank, he was a horndog!’”, in The Guardian, →ISSN - broadlycolloquialNot open about some feature of one's life; often construed with about.
She's in the gambling-addiction closet.
1 more example
She's in the closet about her gambling addiction.
Synonyms & antonyms
Similar
Opposite
out of the closetout
Also see
Translations
Finnish salanainen
- salanainennot open about a feature of one's life
French in petto
- in pettonot open about a feature of one's life
Italian in pectore, in petto
- in pectorenot open about a feature of one's life
- in pettonot open about a feature of one's life
Latin in pectore
- in pectorenot open about a feature of one's life
Norwegian i skapet
- i skapetnot open about one's sexuality
Spanish enclosetado, en el closet (Lat. Am)
- enclosetadonot open about one's sexuality
- en el closet (Lat. Am)not open about one's sexuality
- en el armarionot open about one's sexuality
- closeteronot open about one's sexuality
- armarizadonot open about one's sexuality
- de clósetnot open about a feature of one's life
Cite this entry
APA
in the closet. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20closet
MLA
“in the closet.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20closet. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “in the closet,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20closet.
Source: in the closet on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.