a closed book

noun

: a person or thing that is difficult to understand

Even to his closest friends, he was always something of a closed book.

Examples of a closed book in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

As the hundred-million-dollar suit indicates, none of the four criminal prosecutions against Trump is as yet a closed book, even though one has been dismissed (Florida) and another has resulted in a conviction (New York, on thirty-four felony counts of falsifying business records). —

Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2024 For the folks charged with governing it, OpenAI seems to have been a closed book. —

Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 31 May 2024

Cite this Entry

Style

“A closed book.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20closed%20book. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation