secret

[see-krit]

adjective

1. done, made, or conducted without the knowledge of others.

   secret negotiations.

   Synonyms: covert, hidden, clandestine
   Antonyms: manifest, open

2. kept from the knowledge of any but the initiated or privileged.

   a secret password.

   Synonyms: confidential, private

3. faithful or cautious in keeping confidential matters confidential; close-mouthed; discreet.

   Synonyms: reticent, secretive, close

4. designed or working to escape notice, knowledge, or observation: the secret police.

   a secret drawer;

   the secret police.

5. secluded, sheltered, or withdrawn.

   a secret hiding place.

6. beyond ordinary human understanding; esoteric.

   Synonyms: mysterious, cryptic, occult

7. (of information, a document, etc.)

   1. bearing the classification secret.

   2. limited to persons authorized to use information documents, etc., so classified.

noun

1. something that is or is kept secret, hidden, or concealed.

2. a mystery.

   the secrets of nature.

3. a reason or explanation not immediately or generally apparent.

4. a method, formula, plan, etc., known only to the initiated or the few: a trade secret.

   the secret of happiness;

   a trade secret.

5. a classification assigned to information, a document, etc., considered less vital to security than top-secret but more vital than confidential, and limiting its use to persons who have been cleared, as by various government agencies, as trustworthy to handle such material.

6. (initial capital letter),  a variable prayer in the Roman and other Latin liturgies, said inaudibly by the celebrant after the offertory and immediately before the preface.

secret

/ ˈsiːkrɪt /

adjective

1. kept hidden or separate from the knowledge of others

2. known only to initiates

   a secret password

3. hidden from general view or use

   a secret garden

4. able or tending to keep things private or to oneself

5. operating without the knowledge of outsiders

   a secret society

6. outside the normal range of knowledge

noun

1. something kept or to be kept hidden

2. something unrevealed; mystery

3. an underlying explanation, reason, etc, that is not apparent

   the secret of success

4. a method, plan, etc, known only to initiates

5. liturgy a variable prayer, part of the Mass, said by the celebrant after the offertory and before the preface

6. among the people who know a secret

Other Word Forms

• secretly adverb
• secretness noun
• nonsecret adjective
• quasi-secret adjective
• semisecret adjective
• supersecret noun
• ultrasecret adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of secret¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English secrette, from Old French secret, from Latin sēcrētus “hidden,” originally past participle of sēcernere “to secern ”

Word History and Origins

Origin of secret¹

C14: via Old French from Latin sēcrētus concealed, from sēcernere to sift; see _secern

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in secret, unknown to others; in private; secretly.

   A resistance movement was already being organized in secret.

see in secret; open secret.

Example Sentences

According to the synopsis, these “fierce, brilliant, and emotionally complicated” women will “navigate high-stakes breakups, scandalous secrets, and shifting allegiances.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Previously, only the parliamentary party could vote by secret ballot in selecting a candidate and ordinary members did not have a say.

Read more on BBC

"It's the worst secret ever and it's just burning me, I'm so nervous."

Read more on BBC

The prosecutors say Mas'ud and other former members of Gaddafi's intelligence service were held in a secret prison operated by a militia when they were questioned by an experienced Libyan police officer.

Read more on BBC

Even on Sundays, there was no access to the back rooms or side aisles, to keep the filming a secret.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• classified 
• covert 
• furtive 
• hush-hush 
• mysterious 
• obscure 
• private 
• secluded 
• undercover 
• underground 
• undisclosed 
• unknown 
• unpublished