Idiom
closet case
Meaning
A person who conceals or denies their sexuality or gender identity.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“He is a closet case who hides his true self from everyone.”
“She felt sorry for her friend, who remained a closet case because he feared his family would reject him.”
“Despite the growing acceptance in his social circle, he remained a closet case, trapped by the internalized shame he had carried since his youth.”
Examples
simple
“He is a closet case who hides his true self from everyone.”
contextual
“She felt sorry for her friend, who remained a closet case because he feared his family would reject him.”
complex
“Despite the growing acceptance in his social circle, he remained a closet case, trapped by the internalized shame he had carried since his youth.”
Origin
From *closet* + *case*, first appearing in print in 1946 within the pages of the Washington Post.
Key words
Related idioms
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