open secret

American  

noun

1. something supposedly secret but actually known quite generally.

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open secret British  

noun

1. something that is supposed to be secret but is widely known

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open secret Idioms  

1. Something that is supposedly clandestine but is in fact widely known, as in It's an open secret that both their children are adopted. This expression originated as the title of a Spanish play by Calderón, El Secreto a Voces (“The Noisy Secret”), which was translated by Carlo Gozzi into Italian as Il pubblico secreto (1769). In English the term came into general use during the 1800s.

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Etymology

Origin of open secret

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

open secret

Leaders and workers within the labor movement describe Regan’s alleged behavior as an open secret at SEIU, which represents more than 2 million members nationwide and is the largest union in California.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

This week, we’re addressing the open secret that is “soft” off days.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

Why this was so is an open secret: At 78 years old, Mr. Biden was the oldest man to become president for the first time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026

Sometimes, an associate’s connection to The Fellowship is an open secret, but rarely to the public.

From Salon ● May 29, 2026

The open secret of the Maafa had been bothering me throughout my time here, and it had taken something High John said to make me understand.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia