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

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

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

The paper said it was “an open secret that in many schools, it is nearly impossible to fail a student.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026

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

From Salon ● May 29, 2026

Several members have claimed that Swalwell’s alleged behavior was an open secret amid a cacophony of rumors on social media of other potential offenders.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 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