hush-hush

[huhsh-huhsh]

adjective

1. highly secret or confidential.

   a hush-hush political investigation.

hush-hush

adjective

1. informal,  (esp of official work, documents, etc) secret; confidential

Word History and Origins

Origin of hush-hush¹

First recorded in 1915–20; reduplication based on hush

Example Sentences

Launched earlier this year, the hush-hush undertaking evaluated thousands of the company’s coffee shops across North America on profitability, and the experience of customers and baristas.

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“It was the kind of hush-hush tones in people, I knew something wasn’t right.”

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The hush-hush arrival of the couple’s newest family member shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise considering they have mostly kept details of their private life away from the public eye.

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"The problem has been going on long enough, and everyone knows in their hearts the basic situation. There's no need to be hush-hush any more."

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Why do you think menopause has been a hush-hush topic in the past, and why is it so important that open conversations about it continue?

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• confidential