in the closet

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪn ðə ˈklɑzɪt/, /ɪn ðə ˈklɔzɪt/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪn ðə ˈklɒzɪt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Prepositional phrase

in the closet

1. (colloquial) Not open about one's sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity.
   • 2023 October 6, Ryan Gilbey, “The double life of Rock Hudson: ‘Let’s be frank, he was a horndog!’”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:

     Was he in control of that narrative? Most likely not. If he’d had the choice, he would have stayed in the closet.

2. (colloquial, by extension) Not open about some feature of one's life; often construed with about.

   She's in the closet about her gambling addiction.

   She's in the gambling-addiction closet.

Synonyms

• closeted

Antonyms

• out of the closet, out (adj)

Related terms

• closet
• closeted
• closet case
• come out of the closet, come out

Translations

not open about one's sexuality

• Norwegian: i skapet
• Spanish: enclosetado m, en el closet (Lat. Am), en el armario (Spain), closetero m (Mexico)

not open about a feature of one's life

• Finnish: salanainen
• French: in petto (fr)
• Italian: in pectore (it), in petto
• Latin: in pectore

See also

• pass (“to be accepted by others as a member of a group one would not usually be regarded as belonging to”)

Anagrams

• insect hotel