secrecy
Americannoun
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secrecies
plural
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the state or condition of being secret, hidden, or concealed.
a meeting held in secrecy.
- Synonyms:
- covertness, stealth, privacy, confidentiality
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the state of being apart from other people; privacy; seclusion.
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ability to keep a secret.
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the habit or characteristic of being secretive; reticence.
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Archaic. something that is secret or mysterious.
the secrecies of nature.
noun
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the state or quality of being secret
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the state of keeping something secret
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the ability or tendency to keep things secret
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of secrecy
1375–1425; obsolete secre (< Middle French secré secret ) + -cy; replacing late Middle English secretee, equivalent to secre + -tee -ty 2
Explanation
Secrecy is a word for a state or condition where things are concealed or hidden. CIA agents and conspirators know a lot about secrecy. Since a secret is something some people don't know, secrecy is all about keeping things private or concealed. Being a spy involves a lot of secrecy. When information is important or sensitive, people try to create secrecy. Also, you can say secrecy is a quality people have, like courage. Someone who doesn't gossip has a good sense of secrecy. When all lips are sealed, there's secrecy.
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.
See Examples For:
His proposed solution is “radical transparency” — a familiar Silicon Valley mantra with an ironic resonance given Theranos’ notorious culture of secrecy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Moynihan said the bank has made progress in efforts to pass regulatory muster since the 2024 order, adding thousands of employees to work on compliance with bank secrecy laws.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
“The industry comes from a history of secrecy and so some of that’s just reflex,” Amazon Chief Global Affairs and Legal Officer David Zapolsky said in an interview regarding the nondisclosure agreements.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
The House Appropriations Committee reached a similar conclusion earlier this year, warning that excessive secrecy can undermine deterrence and hinder cooperation with allies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
I go in, and the shame from betraying the secrecy of the Hideout fills me up again.
From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks
Once the eye gets used to the quirks and secrecies of his inimitable shorthand, it discovers how deeply regional an artist he was.
From Time Magazine Archive
With all his faults, his poses, his superficialities, his secrecies, his egotisms, I never dreamed of him as aught but a loyal and honourable gentleman.
From Jaffery by William John Locke
Can she not whisper the white secrecies which words discolour?
From The Divine Adventure Volume IV by Fiona Macleod
Had they not the same passions, the same inclinations in the secrecies of their souls?
From Ancestors A Novel by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton
No man could rest calm under that glance; no man could forbear the attempt to decipher the hidden secrecies of its message, and no man could succeed in the task.
From Hugo A Fantasia on Modern Themes by Arnold Bennett
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
