skeleton in the closet

1. 1.

   a scandal that is kept secret

   “there must be a skeleton somewhere in that family's closet”

   Synonymsskeletonskeleton in the cupboard

   Broaderscandal

Questions about skeleton in the closet

What does skeleton in the closet mean?

skeleton in the closet means "a scandal that is kept secret".

What is another word for skeleton in the closet?

Close synonyms include skeleton, skeleton in the cupboard. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.