hidden
Americanadjective
verb
verb
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hidden
First recorded in 1540–50, for the adjective
Explanation
Hidden things can't be seen — they're concealed in some way. A hidden video camera inside a teddy bear might secretly be keeping an eye on a new babysitter. People with hidden feelings don't let their sadness, anger, and joy show; and hidden clues in a treasure hunt can't be easily found. Hidden things can be obscured deliberately (like hidden eggs at an Easter egg hunt), or simply out of view or undetected by you. Hidden is the past participle of hide, from the Old English hydan, which means "to hide or conceal," but also "to bury a corpse."
Vocabulary lists containing hidden
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Hidden is the agony of parents mourning the loss of their babies.
From Salon • May 7, 2026
When she was consigned to a sale in the summer of 2021, he bought her with Hidden Brook for $135,000.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
Listen to more episodes of the Hidden East Yorkshire podcast.
From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026
“This looks like a fairly significant gesture,” said Peter Kornbluh, co-author of “Back Channel to Cuba, The Hidden History of Negotiations Between Washington and Havana.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
No one seemed to take much notice of her, but she kept catching whiffs of the greasy sewer smell from the Hidden Market coming from her hair.
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
